Like growing frost
by Lysistrate
Summary: Elsa needs to find a new trading partner and fast, as new alliances are formed a queen will realize she is still struggling and a chief will have to fight a consuming darkness. Can two of the most unlikely people find a home in each other, or will it cause disaster to unfold? A story about finding the one who stays even when it's dark, the one you trust.
1. Chapter 1

**What is happening? Am I updating? Well yes I am once again, this time in a new universe I never thought I would write for, but I fell in love with Frozen and How to Train Your Dragon. Then I started thinking about how both Hiccup and Elsa are so rich and special characters that actually have a lot in common. I really think they would be an amazing couple, and here I am!**

 **This story is nearly finished so I will try to update twice a week, so for all of you out there, know this will be completed. Now this is a story about falling in love so it will be a little different from what I have written before, now go on with it and read.**

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1.

A deep sigh filled the otherwise silent room as the young woman put her head in her hands and closed her eyes while trying to fight back the headache that had haunted her since the morning.

Her blond hair, which fell in a thick braid down her back, was an unusually pale blond. In fact, if it hadn't been for the few strands of gold that were visible as they reflected the sunlight shining in from the huge window behind her, it would've been white. Even her skin was unusually pale, only the slight pink on her cheeks giving it some colour.

Looking down at the papers on the desk before her, her ice blue eyes showed how tired and worried she truly was. For Elsa, Queen of Ardendelle, mostly known as the Snow Queen, had quite the problem that she needed to solve or her people would not live happily through the coming winter.

Rising from her chair, she walked over to the window and looked out over the fjord and her kingdom. Down by the docks, ships were sailing out or coming into harbour while the traders were seen down at the market. In the courtyard Anna, Kristoff, Olof and many of the servants were helping each other to set up the decorations for the Midsummer celebrations.

However, helping might not be word used when it came to Olof. The little snowman Elsa had accidently brought to life was mostly running around with the reindeer Sven in a tow, both seemingly overjoyed with just watching what all the humans were doing.

Suddenly the duo accidently ran into Marley, one of the maids, so she landed in a big hoop of flowers and Elsa couldn't help to chuckle at the scene. It was especially funny to see the stunned look on the maid's face, Marely even unable to scold the pair.

Then suddenly, as if sensing they were watched, Anna looked up towards the window where Elsa stood. Seeing her sister, Anna waved to Elsa with a huge smile on her face while Elsa waved back and sent her a small smile on her own.

Watching Anna return to her own work, Elsa felt her smile die and her headache made itself known again. She didn't want to return to the endless amount of paperwork, she wanted to join in with Anna and the others. But her duties to her people had to go first. She was the Queen, games and personal enjoyment had to be secondary.

Sure there were kings and queens who allowed their kingdoms to be ruled by their councillors, but that was not the kind of leader Elsa wanted to be. She owed more to her people, she owed to show them that she cared.

Looking down at the papers on the desk and seeing the numbers, she sighed once more.

A year ago, after the "incident" as Anna liked to call it, Elsa had found great satisfaction in breaking all trade with Wesseltown. Her advisers had agreed on her decision and it had given her some sort of revenge on the little angry Duke who had so quickly in tried to kill her when her powers broke free.

However, Arendelle had lost one of their most important trading partners and finding another who could deliver the same goods to her kingdom needed had been difficult. It was not that new trading relations hadn't been made, for they had. It was even relationships both Elsa and her advisors were very pleased with, but Arendelle was still lacking when it came to cotton and stock, the numbers still dwindling each month.

Her people yet knew nothing, but when winter started to creep in over the land they would start to notice as the prizes would go up. The only problem was that there was no one left who could deliver more goods and no one knew about any other country that could deliver what they needed. And even if there were, that possible partner would have to want the goods Arendelle could offer in return.

To say that Elsa was facing a real problem was an understatement and she was staring to see no other solution than to swallow her pride and contact _Weasealtown_ again. It would cost her a lot, they would demand a much higher prize now than before, but she really couldn't see any other solution.

A sudden knock on the door that led into her study suddenly broke through the silence, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Come in." She called out, a young squire walking in hesitantly with Kristoff in tow.

"The Icemaster of Arendalle wishes to speak with you, your majesty." The young boy said, looking nervously at the floor.

"Thank you, Robin." Elsa replied, the young boy giving her a deep bow before he fled through the door with a deep red colour now all over his face.

"Poor kid, so helplessly in love." Kristoff said, Elsa only raising an eyebrow while looking at him with a stern face in response. However, the amusement in her eyes gave away her actual mirth.

"If you simply came here to comment on poor Robin's sudden redness when he is in the same room as me you should know I don't have the time to amuse you Kristoff." She told him, sitting down in her chair once more and gesturing for him to sit down in the chair opposite of her.

"Just wanted to make sure you were aware of what was causing it. I don't want you to worry about his health and ask the poor lad about it. The horror." Kristoff responded with a smile as he sat down.

"Well, considering that could have been traumatizing for him indeed, perhaps you did do a good deed. Though I have to admit I already had my own suspicions. But we should not linger on that. Now what brought you here? Did you simply need a small brake?" Elsa asked with a small smile.

"Maybe to some point, Anna is looking forward to this more than you can even imagine." Kristoff replied, looking a little weary which caused Elsa to chuckle.

"Trust me, I can imagine." She replied.

"Well, considering she is your sister maybe you can. But the main reason I'm here is because Anna told me about your problem finding a trading partner." Kristoff told her, Elsa's face turning unreadable.

"Did she?" Elsa asked calmly and just like that, it was his Queen sitting before him, not the young woman he had gotten to know over the last year. It had taken a long time before Kristoff had realized how big a wall Elsa showed to rest of the world. Few ever saw her as anything else than the Queen of Arendelle, but after a few months she had started to relax around him a little and allowed the façade to fall.

Knowing how few that really knew her true colours, Kristoff felt extremely privileged she had chosen to accept him. The person behind the extremely powerful and secure Queen, was someone who was still a little insecure from all the years she had lived in solitude. But she was also a very warm and caring person. She was the voice of reason, always a step ahead of everyone else.

And where his beloved Anna was full of excitement and quick thinking, Elsa was calm and endlessly rational.

These traits stayed with her when she entered her role as Queen, after all the people adored her for her kindness and the fact they could feel how much she truly cared for them, but she still changed in so many ways.

The young woman who liked to sit back and simply watch the conversation when they were alone would suddenly become the most powerful presence in the room. She didn't even have to demand attention, everyone listened to her when she spoke. No one questioned the fact she had the final word and everyone deeply respected her.

The warmth and easiness that were more prominent when she was just with him and Anna became much harder to see. She turned regale and impossible to read. In fact, each time he saw the transformation he found it a little chilling seeing how she became the embodiment of power and confidence. She would remain compassionate, but she never allowed her feelings to rule. She would listen to all who wanted to speak, but never allow anyone to overrule her.

Her persona and powers had earned her the name "The Snow Queen" among the people and in the surrounding countries. He knew Elsa was well aware of the name and had come to accept it, for it was truly fitting.

Knowing Elsa was now not just Anna's sister, Kristoff sat up straighter in his chair, feeling how he became a little nervous under her piercing eyes.

"She did, your majesty. Anna hoped I might be able to help and I think I might have a solution." He answered her, Elsa's only response a small nod that told him to continue.

"When I was living in the mountains with the trolls I rarely came down to the city. However, when I did it was to trade with the traders down in the harbor. Once every year I made sure to be here to meet a man named Johann who only comes once each year. His goods have always been of the finest quality."

Here Kristoff hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be wise to tell the last part. But really he had no choice, Elsa would find out anyway. So taking a breath he then added;

"Viking quality."

At his words, Elsa's eyes widened a little, the only sign that she hadn't expected that piece of information for her face stayed emotionless. To be honest, Kristoff doubted he even would have noticed the small change if he hadn't known her so well.

"You mean to tell me that we have had Vikings within our land and you have never reported this to anyone?" Elsa asked him, her voice completely calm.

"I know what you are implying Queen Elsa." Kristoff began, hoping he would be able to explain himself. "Trader Johann has never done anything other than trading a few good here and then leave. He usually only stays for two days and during he hardly leaves his ship. He comes from far up north where his normal trading route is between the Viking Islands. He only comes here once every summer and this is as far south as he goes."

"Perhaps, but we know very little of our neighbours in the north Kristoff. We know the Viking clans have long been, if not at war, close to war. They are stubborn and their pride means too much, they would gladly conquer another kingdom to reach glory." Elsa told him, Kristoff seeing the slight disapproval in her eyes.

"It's true, but Johann has been trading with Arendelle for 15 years. If he had any ulterior motives, wouldn't he have shown them already?" He asked, Elsa unable to argue even if she wanted to.

"So, you mean we should start to trade with this Master Johann?"

At her added title to the Viking, Kristoff smiled a little but he didn't comment.

"Not really, he wouldn't be able to deliver the amount of goods we need. But two years ago he told me about a huge shift that had happened amongst the clans. He didn't go into detail, but he said that most of the Viking clans were starting to settle. One in particular was apparently open for finding new trading partners."

"Since you are telling me this now I assume you've been in contact this Master Johan not too long ago then, making sure this is still the situation?"

"Today in fact." Kristoff answered with a small smile as he saw the slightly surprised look on Elsa's face. "He came into harbour last night and he'll will stay for another two days before travelling back up north. I asked if he still thought a trading contract could be interesting for the clan he spoke of that time, and while he couldn't promise anything, he thought there is still a very good possibility."

For a moment all Elsa did was looking at him with a thoughtful expression, Kristoff feeling slightly uneasy under her gaze, before a new determination fell over her face.

"I wish to speak with him. Could you bring me to him?" Elsa asked, staring to rise from her chair only to stop when she saw the sheepish look in Kristoff's face. "You have already brought him here haven't you?" She added with a small smile.

"Maybe." He answered.

"And what made you so certain I would comply?"

"Come on Elsa, I've been trading ice my entire life! If I couldn't convince you, I'd seen it as a failure. Besides, manly instincts." He added with a laugh.

"You do know I can tell Anna you said that?" Elsa answered, chuckling when the goofy grin on Kristoff's face fell a little. "Very well, we'll see what I chose to tell her after this meeting. Bring this man inside." She told him, turning to look out of the window as Kristoff went to fetch this Trader Johann.

Outside she could see Anna and Olof were now decorating the Midsummer pole together with flowers, Olof sneezing when he smelled one of them a little too happily. The force caused his nose to fall off and Anna laughed as she put it back, earning a hug from the small snowman in thanks.

Hearing her door open once more, Elsa felt a deep longing tug in her chest and in her heart. How she wanted to join them; to share a moment when she could just be with her sister and be just Elsa.

"My Queen, I wish to introduce Trader Johann of the Northern waters." She heard Kristoff say behind her.

Taking a deep breath and pushing her emotions down for the moment, hoping she would be able to join Anna as soon as this meeting was over, Elsa turned around with a polite smile on her face.

The man before her was in his mid-forties she and of a slightly smaller frame than imagined the common Viking to be. However, he shared their unruly hair and she could see that he was a man used living on the sea. His cloths were a blue tunic and a pair of trousers which were partly hidden by a few pieces of leather armour on his arms and shoulders.

He was also staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth that made her slightly question his sanity. Still, she had to see if he could bring her any useful information.

"Master Johann, a pleasure to meet you! Please sit down and I will call for some refreshments." She told him, shaking his hand which was week in her hold. "My Ice Master tells me you bring the most valued treasures each time you come here and I am very eager to hear about your vast knowledge of the North." She therefore added.

Just like she had expected, the man before her took in her praise like a sponge. Still he was a little hesitant to sit down, but with a small nudge from Kristoff the man was soon seated before her and telling them both all she wanted to know.

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Kristoff was still in Elsa's study, sitting in the same chair as he had most of the day, watching Elsa and Anna discussing what had happened during the afternoon. The sun was close to setting outside the window, telling them all how late it truly was. After all, the sun didn't nearly set at all during the summer and midsummer was the time when it shone the longest.

The meeting with Trader Johann had gone very well. The Viking had become completely fascinated with the Snow Queen, but his information had aroused some questions which the sisters didn't agree on.

"This is ridiculous!" Anna said, throwing her hands in the air as she stared at Elsa who was simply looking back at her with a determined expression.

"It is the way it is." Elsa answered with a calm voice.

"But this is the solution to all of our problems! Trader Johann is willing not only to give us the information we need, but also to guide us to this clan! The only thing we have to do is send someone to represent Arendelle. None of those mighty men on your council knows anything about Viking culture or their language, but I do! So why can't I go?" Anna asked with frustration.

"Because if something happens to you then who would take care of the kingdom if something were to happen to me?" Elsa replied.

"Nothing is going to happen Elsa, I'll be fine and all of our problems will be solved." Anna said with conviction, Elsa only shaking her head.

"We don't know that Anna. There is no guarantee that this Viking Chief is even seeking trade with the goods we can offer."

"But if we don't go we will never know! The council listens to you! You have to tell them to let me go!" Anna replied heatedly.

At her words Elsa felt how the world around her disappeared for a moment, bringing her back in time to a dark cell down in the cellars of the castle. Outside the window, the world had been covered in the ice and snow she had summoned over her own kingdom.

She herself had spoken those exact words to a man who had wanted nothing more than destroy both her and Anna. But when Elsa had spoken those words to Hans, she had wanted nothing more than to run away and leave everything behind. That way she could never lose control and hurt anyone ever again, while also setting her people free with her absence.

Now her sister also spoke them for what Anna thought was the best for the kingdom, but it was still for a different reason. Anna wasn't trying to hide or run away, she was ready to risk everything for a chance.

And once again Elsa felt weak compared to her younger sister.

"Elsa…"

At Anna's voice, Elsa looked at her sister's worried expression, suddenly noticing that temperature in the room had fallen slightly as a result of her dark thoughts. Taking a small breath, Elsa pushed down the quilt and dark emotions before opening her arms, Anna immediately stepping into them.

Subconsciously Elsa noted that Kristoff rose and left the room.

"I am afraid Anna, that is why I do not wish to go against the council even though I know it would be right thing." Elsa told her sister honestly.

"Why are you afraid?" Anna asked as they broke their embrace, Elsa placing her hand on her sister's cheek and stroking back a few strands of hair that had broken free from her braids.

"I am afraid that you will not come home, that I will lose you. Just like we lost mama and papa on the sea." She said quietly.

At Elsa's confession, Anna felt how her heart go out to her sister and she could fully understand her fear. Still, she also felt relief knowing that it was not _her_ Elsa doubted.

Anna could also understand that the council was afraid what would happen with the royal line if she died since Elsa had made it very clear had no intention to marry at all. Elsa didn't want a family or anyone to get to close. In a way it made Anna sad, but she didn't want to question Elsa's decision.

However, she also knew that the council were very sceptical that she could handle any political situation after how she had been unable to control herself after Elsa's coronation and had started arguing with her sister in the middle of the ballroom. To them, she was only the carefree younger sister who had big dreams and didn't know how to contain herself. That she had proven herself and been more courageous than any of them by going after Elsa seemed to have been quickly forgotten.

"Elsa…" Anna began to say what she was thinking, but Elsa held up a hand asking for her to wait.

"Anna you know I trust you and no matter what anyone says, I know you would be as good, if not a better ruler than I am…."

"No one can be a better ruler than you." Anna quickly said, Elsa giving her a small smile.

"Thank you, but you must also know I cannot lose you Anna. I could not bear it. However, you are right and I know that if I send you we will have the best chance for this to work. I know that if you go no one could have done more. Besides, someone fearless once taught me that you cannot let your fears control you."

At the proud look in Elsa's eyes, Anna felt how a great warmth spread within as tears formed in her eyes. Anna knew Elsa could never understand how much her approval meant to her younger sister.

"I will speak to the council, but only one condition." Elsa told her, Anna only able to nod as an answer.

"I want you to take Kristoff and Olof with you." Elsa said.

"What?"

"Kristoff loves you more than anyone, well anyone except me, and Olof will live for as long as I do. He will protect you in any way that he can. Both of them will." Elsa said, the worry still clear in her eyes.

"I think those are conditions I can easily accept. Besides I'll rather enjoy having Kristoff with me. But perhaps Olof should stay on the ship once we reach shore? Otherwise everyone will want to cuddle with the snowman."

"I more think it'll be Olof who wants to cuddle them." Elsa replied, both sisters laughed at the image that appeared. "Now go tell Kristoff you're traveling to the high north and I will go and speak to the council." Elsa told Anna, seeing how a huge excited smile spread over her sister's face.

"Sure thing, he'll love this! Just wait till I tell him! Thank you Elsa!" Anna squealed, giving her a kiss on the cheek before rushing out of the room to look for the man she loved.

And so Elsa held her word and talked to the council, who once more learned the hard way that she was their Queen and that they had to trust her judgment.

Four days later, Elsa waved goodbye to her sister, Kristoff and Olof and as she stood looking after them, she realized that this was the first time she and Anna would be separated since they had started to rebuild their relationship.

Seeing her sister leave, Elsa knowing all the risks ahead of her, she walked up into the mountains feeling a desperate need for some sort of comfort. Reaching the home of the trolls, they all greeted her with so much joy and talked about such trivial things that she felt how she could think about something different except her worries.

For a moment, she could both smile and relax. And as she sat there, surrounded by those who had never cared the slightest about her powers, the oldest stone troll rolled and sat down next her.

At his presence she was once again filled with her worry for Anna, already longing for the day her sister would return, and she had to fight back a lone tear that wanted to escape.

"What will I do if they don't come back?" She whispered to old Grand Pabbi and he gave her a gentle pat on the arm.

"You cannot fear the future Elsa. If they don't come back to us, you'll have to find the strength to live on, but I truly think they will come back to us dear. I know they will." He told her, Elsa giving him a small smile and hoping he was right.

After all, she didn't know anything more about Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III than Master Johan had told her, and Elsa had her doubts about trusting a Viking.

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 **So we have met Elsa! next our favorite dragon rider is coming up! Leave a comment, remember reviews make updates come faster!**

 **Until next time!  
** **/Lysistrate**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I will try to reply to all of your reviews, for those of you who review as guest that means I will post my reply in the beginning of each new chapter. So here we go!**

 **Laidyx:** I have to admit that I had to use google translate but I'm so glad you liked the first chapter, hopefully you'll like this as well!

 **Noctus Fury:** So sorry about the misspellings, but I have gotten myself a Beta (yay!) so hopefully they will hurt you a bit less from now on ;D When it comes to Gran Pabb trust me when I say he knows everything, but like all rocks he does not share too much haha. The relationship between Hiccup and Astrid will be discovered somewhat in this chapter so I look forward to see how you will judge it after this chap.

 **IcyeyesBright99:** So glad you like it! I really wanted to show more the kind of role Kristoff could have gotten in a kingdom like Arendelle, but also explore the future relationship between him and Elsa. When it comes to Olaf I actually changed his name to Olof since it is the Scandinavian version of his name. I myself come from Scandinavia so it was just one of those changes where I could not help myself, especially since I have a friend named Olof and he reminds me a bit about Olaf haha.

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2.

Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the Third was in the Dragon Pit along with Astrid and the twins where all of them were trying to teach the children of Berk how to best approach a dragon. Hiccup was standing on the sidelines, watching as his friends tried to pass on their knowledge to the younger generation.

Astrid, as always, was doing a wonderful job at intimidating the kids while at the same time teaching her students in the fastest, safest way to approach her Deadly Nadder Stormfly. Hiccuo watched as the children approached a bored looking Stormfly with a mix of respect and curiosity, his eyes landing on Astrid as she kept a close eye on all of them.

The shield maiden was adored by all the younger Vikings for being the embodiment of every trait a Viking should possess. She was courageous, fearless, stubborn and could pretty much take down anyone in the entire village in a matter of seconds. Astrid was also a considered a great beauty with her gold blonde hair and blue eyes.

As his eyes rested on her, Astrid looked over at Hiccup and sent him a warm smile, one he returned with an appreciative nod in the direction of the children. Astrid answered by sending him a smug smile back and Hiccup looked over to see how it went with the twins, what he saw and heard causing him to sigh deeply.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut were hold a mace and a sword respectively and looked at their group of children with menacing grins.

"Now remember, don't let them take a bite of you!" Ruffnut said slamming her hands together in the air imitating a mouth that closed fiercely.

"Yeah! If you don't show respect they will eat you whole! Then they will spit you out!" Tuffnut added.

"It's only you that they spit out since you smell worse than deadly smoke dofus." Ruffnut said throwing Tuff a grin.

"Hey!" Tuddnut said offended before a new smile spread over his face. "But it is true, they do spit me out! Now who wants to be eaten by the dragon?" Tuffnut said to all the young Vikings who were looking at each other with confused faces, trying to figure out if the man was serious or not.

From where he was watching Hiccup decided it was time to step in and drew a deep breath before he left his spot by the wall and walked over to the twins.

"Ruff, Tuff, Gobber is looking for you, something about trying out a new hammer he has invented, I can take over." He called out to the twins who said "Sweet" in perfect unison before jumping up on their two headed dragon Barf and Belch, disappearing from the pit. The group of kids that was left behind looked nervously at Hiccup as he approached them.

"Now I will teach you how to _befriend_ a dragon, without getting eaten." Hiccup said as the group began whispering among themselves. As he began speaking again they all became quite and soaked in every word he had to say as they looked at him with huge eyes.

For them it was a dream come true, for not only was Hiccup their most respected and honorable chief, he was also the Dragon master, the first Viking ever to bond with a dragon. That dragon was not just any dragon, but the mysterious and dangerous Nightfury. The most powerful dragon of them all, though it had turned out that it could be a real softy at times.

Hiccup was also the one who had defeated the Red Death, a tremendously large and terrible dragon who had plagued the island of Berk for decades _and_ he defeated the terrible Drago who had tried to enslave all dragons and conquer all of Berk.

To the children Hiccup was almost in the same league as the Gods.

But to the young chief, life had once been far from what it was now, actually this had only been his life for the last few years.

Born as the chief's son, he had been named Hiccup since he had been just that: a Hiccup. He had always been small and thin. He had never been fearsome in the classical Viking way, which pretty much meant that you knew how to brake a tree in two with one swing from your axe at the age of ten.

Instead Hiccup had had his mind.

From the early years he had always been thinking outside of the old values, inventing new weapons and new constructions to make life in the village easier. Still this had never made him truly accepted, for he had been terrible at doing what any Viking on Berk should excel at: killing dragons.

But when he had been 15 and he had met his dragon Toothless his life in the village had changed as the view on dragons changed as well. As the years passed he had become the one everyone turned to for solutions and when his father had been killed in the war against Drago three years ago, Hiccup had taken over his role as chief.

It was a position he had never wanted, but had come to both accept and realize he was born to have. Still it kept him from other things he now didn't have the time for, like instructing the kids in the village on how to become dragon riders.

Seeing them approach Toothless with awe and listen to his instructions always made Hiccup miss the simpler life he had lived before since it had at least been less stressful.

"Hey Chief, thought you said Ruff and Tuff could handle one class." Astrid said to Hiccup with a huge smile on her face as she walked over to him after they both had dismissed their classes and the kids were leaving the pit.

"Well, they did manage five minutes without scaring them half to death so it was an improvement despite the obvious failure." Hiccup grinned at her.

"If that's what you call improvement then you must have flown to high and left your head up there." Astrid said raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest, though she was still smiling.

"Well they didn't hunt them around the pit like last time." Hiccup said and Astrid laughed, both of them remembering the previous lesson which had been about learning to respect your dragon and understand that you always should approach an unknown dragon with caution.

At least the twins had gotten the last part across right.

"You know since you broke in _and_ we finished early, how about a race around the island? It was to long since I had the chance to beat your butts." Astrid said, nudging Hiccup in the side as Toothless looked at her slightly offended.

"You really want to race me Hofferson? For I thought it was the other way around, that you and Stormfly were still recovering from last time." Hiccup said smiling.

"Oh you just wait Chief, you will eat our dust." Astrid said, punching Hiccup hard on the arm to empathize her words and though it hurt Hiccup chuckled at her antics. Meanwhile Toothless snuck up behind them before he pushed in between them and Astrid gave him a pat on the head before she walked over to Stormfly, checking the blue dragons gear.

"What do you say bud, should we change this?" Hiccup asked Toothless, gesturing to the tailfin which the dragon could control by himself. In response Toothless gave Hiccup a huge lick which nearly made him fall over.

"Toothless, do you really have to do this every single time bud?!" He groaned as Toothless merely gave his trademark toothless dragon-grin before eagerly running to get his saddle and other tail, dropping them in front of Hiccup.

"Yeah yeah. I will change it, if you will just stand still you big lizard." Hiccup said with affection as he quickly changed the dragon's tailfin and put on the saddle with ease. Anyone watching could see that this was a ritual which had been done countless of times before.

Since Toothless had become alpha of all dragons, he had reluctantly accepted the tail Hiccup had created for him many years ago. The tailfin allowed him to fly without his rider, but Toothless still preferred to fly with Hiccup, something he had shown his partner plenty of times over the last three years.

After all they were now more one person, than two different individuals.

"Finally! Are you two ready to go?!" Astrid said from her place on Stormfly, her dragon bobbing her head up and down in excitement as Hiccup jumped up on Toothless.

Toothless answered with a small growl, his tail moving back on forth over the ground before he took two long strides, lifting from the ground as Hiccup waved to the couple still on the ground.

"That's not fair play!" Astrid shouted from below them as Hiccup just laughed. Toothless performed a spin in the air so that the seconds they had on the couple behind them evened out.

As they began to pick up speed Hiccup felt how the troubles and the weight on his shoulders eased somewhat. This was his element, this was the only place he felt free and whole.

"I told you that…" He began telling Astrid who had nearly caught up with them when he was interrupted by a loud shout.

"HICCUP!"

They both looked down towards the voice which came from below them, seeing their friend Fishlegs standing outside the Great Hall in the middle of the village along with Valka. Hiccup's mother was waving towards them, telling them to land. Fishlegs was holding something in his hand.

"So much for the ride, bud." Hiccup sighed as Toothless gave a sad cry and Astrid gave him a compassionate look before all of them started to fly down towards the ground.

"I was just looking for you!" Fishlegs said, walking over to the two riders sitting on their dragons. "The ship from Arendelle just came in this afternoon, everything was in order as usual. However they handed over this and said it was utmost important that it was handed over to you since they needed a response to bring back."

Hiccup took the letter Fishlegs was handing to him, breaking the sigil with a huge snowflake, which showed that the letter was from the queen herself, and unfolded the thick paper to read it.

"Well, what is it?" Astrid asked, when he had finished but didn't say anything,

"It seems that I have been invited to a wedding between Princess Anna and Ice Master Kristoff." Hiccup finally said as his friends both looked a little confused while his mother just met his gaze knowingly.

"No offence, but why would you be invited to a royal wedding in Arendelle? I mean we have only met that Anna and Kristoff one time when they were here to talk trade." Astrid asked him and it was true.

The princess of Arendelle had arrived a little more than a year ago and the meeting had been interesting for both parties. That she had come from a world more refined and not as rough as their own had been extremely obvious, but she had been an easy and outgoing person who had been open to their culture and shown all of them perfect respect.

But most impressively Princess Anna had accepted their dragons with great curiosity and not a sign of fear, unlike the Ice Master who had hidden behind the princess when he first had seen the beasts.

However it had been different on their part as the Vikings had had a hard time knowing how to approach the princess. She had been so very different from the women of Berk. She had been small in frame and it had been obvious she did not work hard on fields, or doing other chores. She had been extremely polite and smart, with a sharp tongue which always held a quick comeback.

Still she had at times become terribly embarrassed around the burly men and women. Princess Anna had also been a beauty in the fairer sense than the other women on Berk and she had therefore caught a lot of attention among the men. The Ice Master however had early on made it clear that the princess was under his protection. Even though the girl had proven herself quite capable of taking care of herself, when Snotlout one evening had whispered something in her ear, and was rewarded with a punch that knocked him out for quite some time.

After that event the relationship between everyone had eased up a little and the Ice master had spent most of his time on Berk in the blacksmith along with Gobber, while Hiccup had spent his time with Princess Anna discussing the agreement.

But once the papers had been singed and the ship from Arendelle had left their shore, almost everyone had felt some kind of relief at not having to house the strangers anymore since, no-one had really known what to make of the strange guests.

Coming back to the present Hiccup heard how Valka answered Astrid's question better than he could have done himself.

"It is not a matter of invite because of friendship, dear. You must understand that customs outside of the High North are very different, it is much moe calculating among their leaders than among ours. There it is custom to invite all those who are important connections to the kingdom, are powerful as allies or simple have a position which demands an invitation to an event like this. Hiccup and Berk are all those things." Valka said.

"So what, they invite people they might not like just because it is custom?!" Astrid sounded slightly offended, but Valka simply chuckled.

"It's called politics, a game which far more difficult to play than anyone can ever imagine. Politics is not a war fought with axes or swords, but with words and cunning. It doesn't fit us Vikings very well, for we like to act and say what we think at once. Not first sway people our way, or try to manipulate them into things they do not want. Of course our way is more effective, should you ask us." Valka said with a smile.

At this Astrid frowned before turning to Hiccup.

"So will you go?" She asked Hiccup who looked at her with a resigned look on his face.

"We are trading partners after all, if we wish to keep up good relations the only right thing to do would be to accept the invitation and the two additional invitations which came alongside my own. Fishlegs, will you deliver my answer to the man who gave you the invitation?"

"Of course Hiccup." Fishlegs said as he took the invitation back and headed

down towards the docks.

"Well before you even ask, I am not going with you. No way will I curtsy or bow to some old people within stone walls. Let's go Stormfly." And with those words Astrid and Stormfly flew from the ground, leaving Valka, Hiccup and Toothless on the ground.

"You are doing the right thing son, it would be an insult not to accept an invitation like this." His mother said giving his shoulder a small squeeze.

"I know mom, doesn't mean I have to like it any more though. Like you said, Vikings act out with swords and axes, or a good punch, we do not usually use words or wit." Hiccup answered causing his mother to smile at him warmly.

"But you do not fight with axes or swords Hiccup, you never have unless you have been forced. You have the mind to move within the lines of these people and to do it quite well I think. After all not just any boy could have tamed a dragon and built up his entire clan as you have."

"I suppose you're right, the only question is who I shall bring with me, who won't bring down the entire kingdom."

"I cannot help you there, but I would really try to swing Astrid around. No matter what the girl says she is smart and she is a Viking through and through."

"You're right mom, besides there is no one else I would trust more to have my back. Catching her now however won't be easy. Although I suppose it will be harder to sway her the longer she has time to think about it. Let's go bud!" He said to Toothless who happily lifted from the ground to chase after Stormfly and her rider. Valka setting her steps towards the blacksmith, she needed to talk to Gobber.

* * *

So I think you all can see where this is going... Vikings in Arendelle, yikes! Also do you think Astrid will change her mind? Leave a review and Olaf will give you all warm hugs!


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter and now we pick up the pace a little. All those preparations, how are they really going? You'll have to read to find out!**

 **Laidyx:** Haha I am too curious not to translate! ;) So happy you liked the chapter and Astrid really could be a problem should she choose to come. The drama which could unfold! ;)

 **IcyeyesBright99:** Glad to hear you still like it! Who are coming with Hiccup will soon be reveled! When it comes to Hiccup and Astrid all I can say is: It's complicated. But don't worry soon you will find out why!

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3.

"It looks wonderful Mrs. Andersson! If you need any more help with anything you just send for me. Also I wish that the food left after each day of celebration shall be given to the poorhouse." Elsa told the Head Cook who bowed her head before leaving Elsa in the great ballroom, which was in the process of being decorated.

The Head Cook, Elsa and Anna had put together the menus for the coming week and Elsa almost felt sorry for the kind cook for having to work with the lavish menus. Still Mrs. Andersson had assured Elsa that with the extra help that had been brought in, everything was under control. After all a royal wedding was a statement, and considering the great distances many would travel, it had to exceed every expectation.

All of the guests were invited to stay for the three day long ceremony, which would include a huge dinner the night before the wedding, the actual wedding itself with the wedding reception and another feast the day after.

However most of the guests would stay the full week since they had to arrive a day before the first party to accommodate themselves into their rooms and then stay a few days after the wedding to "recover" from the feast. Or as Anna said: "live on the good of their hosts."

The following days, however, would not be as grand as those of the wedding. Though Arendelle would of course still have to entertain their guests.

"Oh, there is no need for flowers to be draped around the pillars, master Rohlin. I will take care of those myself before the wedding." Elsa told the master gardener, as she was walking around in the ballroom to overlook the servants work.

"As you wish your majesty." Master Rohlin said with a bow as she passed. She gave him a smile before walking up to the nobleman standing in the huge doorway which led into the great ballroom.

"I leave you in charge now Ankarloo, remember I want everything to be perfect." Elsa told the man. He was very handsome despite being in his sixties. Sure he had little hair on top of his head, and that which he had had turned grey, but he was still tall and had a strong build despite his age. He was also one of the men on her council, an old friend to the family and the head of one of Arendelle's oldest noble families.

He was one of the few men Elsa trusted, and she often asked for his advice when she needed someone to talk to.

"I believe that is the queue for me then to send for my wife, my queen. But I do guarantee everything will be absolute perfection upon your return." The older man smiled at her with warm eyes and Elsa smiled back before leaving the crowded ballroom only to enter the even more crowded hallway. Here the servants and maids were running back and forth with sheets, towels and candles, all busy to get all the guestrooms ready for the next day.

There were also an enormous amount of servants working with cleaning and decorating the castle to perfection. As Elsa passed them, they interrupted their work to give her a small bow or a curtsey, before they continued with their work. Coming out of the hallway Elsa walked into one of the great halls where a grand staircase in oak lead up to the third floor of the castle.

Walking up the stairs Elsa saw the woman she was looking for standing on top of the staircase talking to one of the maids. The older woman was dressed in a dark blue strict dress and her hair was up in a perfect bun. Grey streaks could be seen in her black hair. The maid was dressed in the usual purple and dark green attire all maids wore, her brown hair up under her white cap.

"Mrs. Tomson, may I have a word?" Elsa asked as she reached the pair. At her voice the housekeeper and the servant girl both turned towards her, the housekeeper giving Elsa a warm smile while the young maid looked very nervous.

"That will be all then Miss. Olsen." The elderly housekeeper said to the young girl who, upon closer inspection, Elsa could see was fairly pretty.

"Yes thank you Madame. Your m-majesty." The young girl curtseyed to them both before hurrying down the stairs, looking at her feet the whole time while her face was beat red.

"Is everything in order, Mrs. Tomson?" Elsa enquired with the old trusted housekeeper, who looked very tired as she looked after the young maid.

"The poor girl just started here last week and have had some trouble finding her way around. Although no one would expect anything differently, I suppose, when you come from a small house and start here with a royal wedding only a week away. Otherwise everything is running just splendidly, no problems we have not been able to solve your majesty." Mrs. Tomson said turning to Elsa, her usually harsh face kind and with a soft gleam in her eyes as she looked at the queen.

"Thank you Mrs. Tomson, although you know that you are allowed to call me Elsa. There is no need for titles, after all you did take care of me all those years." At Elsa's words the old housekeeper simply scoffed and looked at her sternly.

"You are still my Queen, your majesty, and I am very proud to have you as my Queen, so I will call you what I like." Mrs. Tomson said with a tone that left no room for argument, a challenging look in her eyes.

At her words Elsa only chuckled. Few people dared or were allowed to speak freely to her, but the old housekeeper had looked after both Elsa and Anna since they were toddlers. Also Mrs. Tomson had been one of the few people Elsa had had any contact with during her years of isolation, and she had been a tremendous support to Elsa during those years.

This, in return, had created a special bond between the two. It was a bond they rarely addressed, but both cherished deeply.

"Very well, if you wish it I will not argue. Now, how is the preparation with the cottages to our Viking guests going?" Elsa asked.

When Elsa had received answer to the invite she had sent to Chief Haddock of Berk, she had been a little surprised that the Chief had actually accepted it. Still she had also been very pleased, knowing that it hopefully meant that Chief Haddock wanted to strengthen the relationship between Arendelle and Berk just as much as she wanted. After all their newest trading partner had turned out much better than anyone had expected.

Still the council had not liked the idea of inviting Vikings to the wedding, especially since said Vikings would arrive on dragons. The fact that not sending an invitation would have been an insult to the Vikings, most of them had chosen to ignore because they held a deep fear for the creatures.

However Elsa had soon closed the argument, saying it was a question which should not even need to be discussed. Making her decision Elsa had trusted solely on Anna and Kristoff who both had told her that the dragons were not vicious as they were portrayed in the old tales and that the Vikings knew how to control them.

Still the Vikings acceptance had made Elsa question her decision many times over the last few days. Her own logic and fear for her people was constantly struggling against the pure faith she had in her sister. But the correspondence she had had with Chief Haddock over the past weeks, during which he had appeared to be very understanding of the fact that bringing dragons to Arendelle would cause quite the commotion, helped reassure Elsa that she had, indeed, made the right decision.

At least she hoped she had.

One thing however had turned out very well, and it was that Chief Haddock had accepted her offer of other accommodations than the castle, telling her that the dragons would prefer the free space.

Therefore Elsa had ordered that three old cottages, which lay a small walk outside of the city, would be renovated to house the three Vikings during their stay.

"The cottages are coming along just splendidly your…" Mrs. Tomson began answering Elsa's question with a proud gleam in her eyes when she suddenly halted her speech. Looking thoughtful she gave Elsa a long look before she looked at the pocket watch in her hand. Looking up at Elsa again, now with a scolding look on her face, she then burst out: "Your majesty you are late for your own sister's last fitting!"

"Mrs. Tomson, I am on my way I just need…" Elsa started but at Mrs. Tomson's stern look she quickly quieted, feeling like a small child who was being scolded for doing something they very well knew they shouldn't.

"You do not need to do anything except to make sure you are there for Princess Anna! Everything is under control and if things start falling apart, I will send for you." Mrs. Tomson said as she began shooing Elsa towards the hallway which led to Anna's room.

"But you would only send for me if everything already was utter chaos, Mrs. Tomson." Elsa said, amused at how the housekeeper was now almost pushing her towards the hallway.

"And that is because I can solve everything else and you know it, young lady!" Mrs. Tomson said with a determined voice which left no room for argument.

"Now shoo! Everything here is under control! Oh and send Anna all my love your majesty." Mrs. Tomson added the last part in a soft tone as she finally seemed content as Elsa was standing in the hallway. At least she had stopped pushing her forward.

"I will, Mrs. Tomson." Elsa said, chuckling as she received one last shooing motion before she headed in the direction of Anna's bedroom where her sister was trying out her wedding dress.

When Anna had told her that Kristoff had finally proposed, Elsa had been so happy for her sister. However Elsa had been aware of Kristoff's plan a few weeks before the man had finally asked Anna for her hand.

The reason for this was that it was Elsa whom Kristoff had asked for permission to marry Anna. This was something which had made Elsa respect the young man even more. Not that Elsa had ever had anything against Kristoff, but in all honesty, he had never been an ideal match for Anna. At least not in the political sense.

Still Elsa had never spoken about this to either of them. She had seen how much they loved each other, and all she ever wished for was that Anna would be happy for the rest of her life.

As time passed Elsa had also found that she more and more had started to consider Kristoff a personal friend and not only the Ice Master or the man who happened to be in love with her sister. His dedication to learning the royal life had earned him Elsa's respect, and his pure dedication to Anna had earned over the years earned him her trust.

But it was still not until Kristoff came and asked Elsa for her permission to marry Anna that she had started to consider Kristoff as family. The reason was that Kristoff could have turned to the council for permission instead of her, in fact most young noble men would have done so.

Instead Kristoff had never approached her council at all. One evening he had asked to speak to Elsa alone and then he had asked her, not as Anna's queen, but as her sister, if she would grant him the honor of asking for Anna's hand. It was in that moment Kristoff had truly shown his considerate nature, and he had also shown that he understood the special bond shared between the two sisters.

And so, no matter the controversy, the two year old courting had finally turned into an engagement. An engagement which of course had set a new chain of events in motion: the planning of the royal wedding.

Anna had thrown her soul into her wedding, planning it now for a full year, and while Elsa had been part of the planning, she still did not hesitate to give Anna all of the credit.

Having finally reached Anna's room, Elsa knocked on the door waiting to see if she was yet allowed inside.

"Elsa? Is that you?" Anna voice was heard through the door and Elsa took that as her cue as she opened the door and walked inside. Anna was standing in front of the full length mirror, which had been placed in the middle of the room, all dressed in white.

"I am so sorry I am late! But there is so much going on right now and wow!" Elsa gasped as she took in thee full glory of her sister. "Anna you look stunning!"

In fact Anna looked more than stunning, she was magnificent.

The white dress was held together with a corset which went all the way down to the beginning of Anna's hips. From there the dress flowed down to the floor, an underskirt giving the skirt some volume. The skirt was also decorated with tiny white flowers which had all been sown by hand into the gown. It created a beautiful pattern which was not visible from afar, but it gave the dress life when you got closer.

The upper half of the gown sat snugly to Anna's body and the sleeves were the same as those of Anna's favorite dress which she had worn on Elsa's coronation. However unlike that dress, countless of pearls had been sown into the bodice of the wedding gown, all of them shining beautifully in the sunlight.

"So… Do you like it?" Anna asked with a happy smile, spinning around carefully as the seamstress took a few steps back and inspected how the gown moved along with Anna's movements.

"Anna I love it! You look amazing! Kristoff is going to faint from the sight of you." Elsa said taking her sisters hand, walking around Anna slowly so she could see the handiwork.

"This is stunningly done, Miss Potts." Elsa told the seamstress when she had finished her inspection.

"Thank you, your majesty! The veil is not yet done but it should be so by tomorrow." Miss Potts said, her cheeks a little red and her eyes glowing from the praise.

"That's good. Make sure to have it delivered here once it is." Elsa gave the seamstress a smile as the middle aged woman nodded and promised that the veil would be delivered as soon as possible.

"Now, Anna what do you think?" Elsa asked her sister who turned to the mirror inspecting herself with a huge smile. Her eyes were glowing and Elsa really had not needed to ask, Anna's expression said it all.

"I love it! You don't think it's too much?" Anna asked as she inspected herself in the mirror.

"Trust me it's not too much. If you had asked for a bigger skirt though I would have disapproved." Elsa said teasingly.

Anna answered by sticking her tongue out to her sister, Miss Pott's doing her best to hold back a smile at the sisters' antics.

"Well then I suppose we better put it away for now, I do not want to ruin it." Anna finally said with a voice full of longing after she had inspected herself a few moments more in the mirror. Miss Potts offered her assistance and together with Anna's lady's maid the dress was soon off and she left the room to hang it away safely.

"Frida, I think we will manage." Anna told her lady's maid who curtsied and left the room as well, closing the door behind her.

"Is everything working out downstairs, no accidents?" Anna asked Elsa as she helped her sister to get into her dress for non-formal days.

Elsa was trying to meet Anna's eyes in the mirror, knowing this could not have been what she wanted to talk about since she had sent Frida away. Still as Anna kept her eyes low, Elsa choose to wait and see if her sister would soon address what was troubling her.

"Everything is running without any accidents at all. The ballroom is looking wonderful, the food is in order and Mrs. Tomson has sworn that nothing but a major disaster will stand in her way of getting this wedding together. She sent her love as well." Elsa said, noting how Anna began fiddling with one of her braids at Elsa's last words.

"From the sound of it she had to force you away from all the planning." Anna said, meeting Elsa's eyes in the mirror for the first time as Elsa finished.

"No one forces a queen to do anything."

"So in other words she did force you away." Anna said smiling as Elsa chuckled.

"I'm not going to admit to anything except wanting this wedding to be perfect for you. You deserve it Anna, both of you does, and to be honest I think you will have the most stunning wedding this kingdom has seen in a long time." Elsa said and she could see how a troubled gleam entered Anna's eyes once more.

"Well it will be stunning once you start decorating that is for sure." Anna said, looking out the window.

"Ahh don't remind me." Elsa said with a groan, trying to ease the mood, but immediately getting serious when she saw that Anna had tears in her eyes.

"Anna what is wrong? Have you changed your mind? If you are we can cancel the whole wedding, no one…." Elsa began but was interrupted by Anna.

"NO!" She shouted before continuing in a calmer tone. "No I am not changing my mind. God, I love Kristoff and I want to marry him. I want it more than anything right now to be honest! It's just that…." Anna once again hesitated and so Elsa put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's just what?" She asked in a soft tone. Anna looked up at Elsa with a mix of pain and sadness in her eyes.

"It's just that I wish mom and dad were here." Anna finally whispered and the words made it feel like time had frozen. Elsa could feel the pain rise in her chest, but the sorrow which radiated from Anna sister was something else entirely, but Anna had also had a very different relationship with their parents than Elsa.

"I know you do Anna, I wish that to." Elsa said guiding her sister to sit on the bed and as they sat down Anna's tears started to flow, Elsa putting her arm around Anna's shoulders so she could hold her close while fighting back her own tears.

"You know I miss them so much, but I used to miss them more. I used to miss them every single minute of every day, but I don't any more. Since I got you back and I fell in love with Kristoff, I don't think about them as often and I feel like I'm betraying them somehow. Do I do that? Am I terrible Elsa?" Anna asked, looking brokenly at Elsa, who could see how much Anna needed her to say that she was not a bad person.

Taking Anna's warm hands into her own Elsa pushed back a strand of hair behind Anna's ear as she spoke softly.

"Anna you are not a terrible person! You are the most loving, kind and compassionate person I know. You love freely and you spread light and happiness all around you. Not thinking about our parent's everyday does not make you terrible, as long as when you do you remember their love and who they were it's okay. It's okay not to stay in the past."

"But…"

"No buts!" Elsa said sternly. "Do you think you're the only one who sometimes find that a few days have passed without thinking about them?" Elsa added kindly, smiling a little as Anna's eyes widened a little and the tears stopped flowing not so fast.

"You mean…"

"Yes. I miss them so much, but I cannot wallow in the past." Elsa answered as she picked up a handkerchief lying on the table next to the bed and began drying her sister's tears.

"Anna, since I got you back, I do not think of them every minute when I'm awake. I haven't for some time, but what you need to know is that this is a part of the healing process, and our parents would have wanted us to heal. When the ones we love get hurt we cry, and when they leave us we mourn, but to stay there would never make us happy, nor would we be able to move on. With time we have to allow ourselves to think of other things and in these find a way to heal and find happiness."

Elsa put down the handkerchief, collecting her thoughts and her own swirling emotions. Anna was clinging to every word she said and Elsa took a deep breath before she continued.

"Not thinking about mama and papa every minute of every day does not make us love them less. That is simply a part of the healing process. There will be times, as I think you know, when something reminds us of them and then we will cry, scream and be sad for a few days. But after each time you will feel more whole, and in the end you will be able to smile at all the memories. Sure you'' be sad, but you will also be happy. Besides you know as well as I that mama and papa would have wanted us to move on, they would have wanted us to find love and be happy."

"I know you're right, but now I cannot ask them what they think of Kristoff. I mean, I think mama would have loved him, but dad? Would he have approved?" Seeing the slight fear and shame in Anna's eyes, Elsa felt her heart ache for her sister.

While Anna had always acted as if she never cared about the whispers about her relationship with Kristoff, Elsa had always known Anna was well aware of them and that they were saying that Kristoff was far from an ideal match. This, however, was the first time Anna had ever addressed the subject

"Mama would have loved him at once. Papa probably would have disapproved at the start but after some time he would have come to love him as family, just as I have." Elsa said honestly.

"You have?" Anna's eyes were full of hope and a small smile spread over her face in what felt like the first time in forever.

"Of course I have! How could I not? He loves you so much and he adores the ground you walk on. He is kind and charming in his own way. Although I have to admit that his relationship with Sven still disturbs me somewhat." Elsa said with a grin and Anna giggled "Also he has the outmost respect for you and he wants to learn this way of life only to be with you. I think it will be very hard to find a man like that, no matter how hard you look."

"You mean you only approve since he is the best choice around?" Anna asked with a smile.

"Of course I do." Elsa said as the two sisters giggled, before Anna got serious once more. This time however there was a light in her eyes, a light of hope.

"So you really think dad would have approved?" She asked, needing someone to say it just once more.

"I know he would. All he wanted was to see you happy, and Kristoff makes you shine like the sun." Elsa said no trace of doubt, her words so final no one would have questioned them. In response Anna threw her arms around her and hugged her fiercely, Elsa returning the hug.

"Thank you Elsa. I am so happy we are one again as when we were little, I could not have done this without you. I love you." At her words two tears fell from Elsa's eyes, the tears turning into ice crystals as they fell, landing as two icy pearls on Elsa's dress.

"So am I Anna and I love you too, I love you too."

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Some wedding nerves and some sisterly bonding. I really wanted to address the sorrow many feel close to their wedding-day (or any big event in their lives) when you have lost someone very close to you, after all some moments only happen once and they therefore are a mix of happiness and sadness. So what did you think? Leave a comment, let me know and soon the next chapter will be up!

/Lysistrate


	4. Chapter 4

**So what happened to uploading once a week? Well, last week I was in Rome (go there if you ever have the chance, it was amazing!), moved back to my own apartment the same weakened I got home and this week I have started working on my second job which I work with during my semesters at the university. So it was crazy week and there wasn't much time for anything else. Tomorrow a new semester will begin (yay!) but most importantly I'm finally done editing this chapter!**

 ****So I realized editing that this it is a bit of a filler, but it builds up for the big meeting so it is important, also it introduces some new characters and answers some of your questions.****

 **Laidyx:** Haha well I have to create some heartache at some points, otherwise I am doing a bad job ;D

 **Noctus Fury:** Haha I agree with you, some of the pairings are just... well... special ;) Oh all will be cleared out in this chapter and you will see who comes with him, also there is a reason for everything Hiccup do as he will explain himself :D

 **Guest:** Thank you for your review, once you have read this chapter, tell me what you thought of Hiccup's choices, I'm curious to know!

 **Also a big thank you for my beta, Zharlee, who edits my chapters, you are a rock! Any faults is all me as I have a tendency of changing my mind million times haha!**

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4.

Elsa and Anna spent the rest of the day together. At first Anna had insisted that she did not want to keep Elsa from her duties, but Elsa had said that if the kingdom could not handle her taking one afternoon off to spend with her sister than she did a very poor job at running it.

So the two sisters had gotten out of the hectic castle and taken their horses to ride up into the mountains. At Anna's request they had stopped by the graves of their parents and left a bouquet of flowers each at their stones before continuing their journey. Around them spring was in full bloom, the birds were singing and the trees were starting to fill with leaves after the long winter.

They had eaten lunch by the small river which flowed down into the fjord, laughing as Anna recalled that it was the same river that she had fallen into when Elsa had covered the land in snow. Anna even did a very accurate imitation of how she had been forced to waggle around after her skirt had frozen.

They had ended their day with taking the road which led them through the mountains to the troll's home. Here they stayed longer than they had expected since the trolls were very eager to get every detail on the wedding. Anna had chatted happily with them for a long time, while Elsa had kept in background and talked to Grand Pabi. It wasn't until it was already starting to become dark that they rode back to the castle.

Upon their return Elsa had sent Anna straight to bed, while she herself had sought out Mrs. Tomson to make sure everything was in order for the following day. Therefore it took two more hours before she could return to her own chambers. By then she was so tired she didn't even bother calling for her lady's maid, instead she simply fell onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

The next morning Elsa was awoken at six in the morning by her lady's maid, Brigitte. The older woman for once looking sad to awake her at such an early hour. Still despite being more asleep than awake as Brigitte helped her to get dressed, Elsa felt happy each time she thought back on the time she and Anna had spent together the day before.

As Elsa left her room to go down to the dining room, her midnight blue dress flowing beautifully behind her, she knew that things were about to change. Sure Anna would remain living inside the castle, but she would also be married and Elsa knew after marriage it was never too long before the echoes of children were heard in a family.

As she entered the small dining room, Kristoff and Anna was already there. They were sitting next to each other, talking quietly and were completely unaware that she had entered. Elsa therefore cleared her throat as she walked to take her seat, the couple separating with sheepish looks on their faces at her smug smile.

"You know, I simply fear that one day, I will walk in on you two doing something other than simply whispering." Elsa said as she sat down, holding back her chuckle as she saw the couple turn equally red on the other side of the table.

"Elsa that is not something to… I mean it's not like… it's not done… you know…" Anna stammered while Kristoff was looking anywhere but at his fiancée.

"I have no idea what you are referring to." Elsa winked at her sister and Anna relaxed a little knowing she was off the hook. "For I hope Kristoff is gentleman enough to never put to you in that position." She added with a pointed look at Kristoff, while some frost danced around her fingertips.

Kristoff nodded fiercely towards her as a response, still not daring to look at Anna.

"Good." Elsa said leaving the subject while Anna and Kristoff threw each other a look of relief.

The two young footmen, who was in the room serving breakfast, was doing their best to conceal their smiles at the scene. One harsh look from the butler Mr. Karlsson however caused both of their smiles fall. Elsa, in return, sent Mr. Karlsson a knowing look, the butler saying nothing but looking very pleased with her obvious approval.

"So I spoke to Mrs. Tomson and Mr. Karlsson last night and everything is still running smoothly. I also spoke to Mrs. Andersson again and she felt confident everything should run without trouble in the kitchens as well." Elsa said, changing the subject as she sipped on her coffee, feeling how some of the fatigue washed away as the caffeine entered her system.

"That's great!" Anna said with a huge smile on her face which had returned to its normal color.

"It's actually a miracle nothing has happened, not yet at least. But I suppose we will have to deal with it if it occurs, which it shouldn't. Now Kristoff, are you feeling ready to great all of our guests today? I hope Anna has told you of all the basics about…." Elsa paused as she caught Anna's sheepish look, her sister looking very uncomfortable.

"Yeah well about that…" Anna said with a small nervous laugh as Elsa stared at her. "I might have forgotten that part."

"You might have forgotten that part?" Elsa said with disbelief. "How can you have forgotten that part?" Elsa added, feeling how the annoyance rose within her.

"Well it's not like Kristoff doesn't know how to behave, he wasn't raised in a barn." Anna said slowly, trying to see how angry Elsa was going to get.

"Yes he does, on less formal occasions! But not when it comes to this! This is a different matter entirely! And even though he was not raised in a barn he was still raised by trolls in the woods for God's sake! No offence Kristoff." Elsa directed the last part to the young man who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"None taken." He said, knowing very well that what she said was true. After all Kristoff highly doubted any of the guests would appreciate if he began digging a hole in the ground for them to stay in which was custom among the trolls when they had visitors. Elsa, he knew for a fact, most definitely wouldn't.

"Well I can teach him now directly after breakfast!" Anna said, going on the offensive.

"There is no need…" Kristoff began but was interrupted as the two sister stared at each other. Elsa looking tired again and Anna stubborn.

"No one can learn every single quest in a matter of hours Anna." Elsa sighed.

"But I already…" Kristoff began once more.

"Well he will be with me all the time so I can tell him who they are and…"

"Guys!" Kristoff finally said loudly enough to draw the two sister's attention, both of them staring with him in a way that clearly told him they weren't done, ignoring it he said: "I am sitting right here and I know our guests."

"You do?" Elsa asked looking a little shocked, but he could also see relief wash over her as her shoulders relaxed.

"Wel,l I kind of figured that I would have to great the guests to my own wedding. So I learned all of them, not that I ever want to see one of your crazy family trees again." Kristoff said, remembering all the old papers he had gone through with horror.

"Oh well then that is wonderful! It's perfect even! Well, I will see you both down in the throne room in an hour then." Elsa said with a huge smile before she rose from her chair, her food barely touched. "And I can only agree with you when it comes to the tree, it's a terror." She added with a smile before walking out of the dining room.

When Elsa had left Anna turned to Kristoff with a calculating look, staring at his innocent face. Then she looked at Mr. Karlsson who looked very innocent as well, staring at the wall opposite of him. Fighting back a smile Anna once again turned to her fiancée.

"Mr. Karlsson forced you to learn the guests, didn't he?" She asked trying to sound harsh but failing miserably.

"I would never admit to it, but it might be closer to the truth." Kristoff answered and Anna burst into laughter which he joined. He could see Mr. Karlsson holding back a smile as well, for once giving Kristoff an approving glance and in return and for once, he gave Kristoff an approving look.

Perhaps listening to the cranky old butler at times was not so bad after all.

"If I have to smile one more time..." Anna said and Elsa simply sent her sister a compassionate look.

It was late afternoon and since nine in the morning Elsa, Anna and Kristoff had welcomed what seemed like an endless stream of guests to Arendelle. To Elsa's great relief, Kristoff had been doing great all day. Everyone who had met him had at first looked a little surprised at his flawless manners, before leaving with smiles on their faces.

Elsa felt very proud that Kristoff exceeded their expectations, but also slightly offended that they seemed to think that she would have allowed Anna to marry some kind of caveman.

"Announcing the arrival of Crown princess Rapunzel of Corona and Prince Eugene of Corona." The servant by the door announced, and for the first time since lunch Elsa felt how some of her tiredness washed away. As the very handsome couple walked through the doors, both with huge smiles, Elsa genuinely smiled back at them warmly, feeling happiness spread through her at the sight of them.

Rapunzel was Elsa's and Anna's cousin, but since she had been kidnapped as a small baby because of her hair, which once had possessed healing abilities, the sisters had only known her for the last six years. Still the three young women had bonded immediately, and today it was almost as if those missing years had never happened.

Of course Elsa and Anna knew everything about how Rapunzel had found her husband, or more how he had found her. Therefore they were also aware of the trials the two had gone through. Still Elsa was certain this was the reason how they could still be as in love as ever even after six years of marriage.

"Rapunzel, I am happy to see you both, welcome back to Arendelle!" Elsa said giving the slightly older woman a hug which was fiercely returned. As they smiled at each other Elsa could see that a few wrinkles had started to show by Rapunzel's eyes. Somehow they only made her look even more beautiful.

"I am so happy to be here! And for a wedding! Who would have thought we would get another wildcard into the family? It is so wonderful and Anna you look so beautiful!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she threw her arms around Anna who was just as excited to be reunited with Rapunzel, the two of laughing as they began talking about the wedding.

Kristoff shook his head, looking at them with amusement before joining Elsa and Eugene, shaking hands with the other man.

"It is a good thing you three are only cousins, one kingdom would not be able to survive all of the beauty and craziness." Eugene said with a grin which could have made any woman swoon. He was after all almost ridiculously good looking.

"You are probably right." Elsa chuckled as all three of them looked at Anna and Rapunzel who were laughing and gesturing widely. "Did the journey go well?" She asked.

"It went very well, the weather was beautiful and the ocean calm. To be honest this will be a very much needed brake." Eugene said, and Elsa noticed the bags under his eyes.

"I can imagine the twins are quite a handful indeed." She said with a mix of compassion and amusement.

"O, you have no idea! They have seem to have an endless amount of energy and every single day they seem to get into trouble. When we told them they could not come with us here they tried to change our minds for a week and still we found them on the ship the day we were traveling. I swear I have no idea where it comes from!" Eugene exclaimed as Elsa and Kristoff shared a look.

"Well, let's think about it. They are six years old, their mother is one of the most energetic persons I know. She, alone, took down a strange man and then made him take her to go and see the lanterns she had dreamed about her whole life, on the journey battling guards, thieves and a crazy woman. Their father on the other side, is a former burglar who, if I am not misinformed, was very creative in his profession." Elsa said, looking thoughtful for a moment before adding: "No you are right, I have no idea where it comes from."

"You just had to break my bubble hadn't you?" Eugene said dryly as Elsa smiled and Kristoff laughed.

"I don't think there was a bubble to begin with buddy." Kristoff said, patting Eugene on the shoulder.

"Well, you can't blame a man for trying to can you?" Eugene said, as he sent Kristoff a mischievous look. "Besides you will soon know this yourself, I will gladly welcome you to the dark side."

This time it was Kristoff who looked a little pale while Eugene patted him on the shoulder, sending Elsa a wink as she simply shook her head at them.

"I will pretended I never heard that." She said instead. "But you do know the twins are more than welcome to visit. You all could come for a month or two during the summer. I know Anna misses her godchildren. Besides if anyone has the energy to keep up with them, it's her."

"She won't have to, both Victoria and John adore her, they will do anything she says!" Eugene said.

They all enjoyed each other's spoke for a few more minutes before Rapunzel and Eugene had to head to their rooms. Rapunzel giving all of them one last hug before ordering her cousins that they had to catch up despite the tight schedule.

"You know Eugene really only gets more attractive each time I see him, which is quite amazing considering he is getting older and older." Anna said as she slipped up next to Elsa and Kristoff.

"Then I am happy he is already taken, otherwise I would have felt threatened when I heard this conversation." Kristoff said as he wrapped his arms around Anna, giving her a teasing smile as she hit him on the arm lightly.

"You jealous?! Still you just wait till you see their twins! God those two are so cute they could melt Elsa's ice palace in a minute!"

"Yes, but they are also two little devils disguised as angels." Elsa said, the warmth in her eyes showing that she didn't mean it. "My biggest concern is how their father will once again cause all of our maids to walk in a daze for as long as he is here. Last time one of them fell down the stairs and broke her ankle."

"How did she manage that?" Kristoff asked with disbelief.

"She was staring at him when he was walking up the stairs and she missed the stairs herself. Luckily Eugene caught before she fell all the way down. However when she noticed who had saved her she fainted." Elsa said dryly as she remembered the episode while Anna was hiding a smile behind her hands.

"It almost sounds like he should wear a warning sign." Kristoff said chuckling.

"You know that might not be such a bad idea." Anna said with a huge smile as a young page boy ran up to the announcer, whispering fiercely in his ear. The announcer then swallowed before declaring clearly:

"Dragons have been spotted near the northern mountain, your majesty."

For a moment Elsa didn't know how to react, a knot appearing in her stomach. Telling herself she was being silly, that nothing would happen, she collected herself and composed her features.

"Well then we must go out and greet them." She said, before she started walking out of the castle, wearing a mask Anna knew very well, for it was one not even she could read.

The Snow Queen was ready to greet her guests.

* * *

 **Hiccup PoV**

"Are we really not there yet?"

"It should be just around an hour's flight left." Hiccup called back to Astrid who gave a deep sigh and muttered something under her breath.

"Had I known we would have to fly for more almost three days, I never would have come." She called louder with a sour ton. This only caused Hiccup to smile a little as he shook his head and decided that it was safest not to say anything.

"But you did know Astrid, Hiccup told you." Fishlegs called to her confused from her left. Astrid answered by sending him a glare which probably would have even made Thor to run in the different direction.

"You know what, right now I can't stand either of you!" She called angrily as she and Stormfly flew ahead of the two male Vikings.

"I see you still have that charm intact." Hiccup grinned.

"I really don't want to talk about that." Fishlegs said as he turned red, looking in a different direction.

Hiccup looked at Astrid and Stormfly as where they now flew a few meters in front of them. It had not been easy to persuade her to come with him, in fact it had been bloody difficult.

Fishlegs had been more than happy to come for the same reason which had caused Hiccup to choose him as head of relations with Arendelle. His endless interest to learn as much knowledge as he possibly could about the subjects that interested him had done that he quickly had learned vital information about the foreign kingdom.

Also Eret was already too busy working on their relations with the other clans and Hiccup had not wanted to increase his workload. Besides, Fishlegs was the least likely to pick a fight with anyone.

So it was for these same reasons Hiccup had asked him to come with him to the wedding, an opportunity which Fishlegs had been extremely eager to accept. Since they left Berk, Fishlegs had spoken of nothing but Arendelle's customs and etiquette. At least he had until Astrid had threatened that she would place one of Stormfly's spikes in his sleeping bag.

Astrid on the other had taken quite some convincing to say yes. Hiccup had talked to her countless of times since the invitation had arrived and she had not said yes until he told her that he wouldn't leave without his most trusted partner to have his back.

Astrid had, however, had a condition of her own. Hiccup would not allow anyone to try and turn her into some kind of obedient lady. Hiccup's first comment: "As if anyone ever could succeed with doing that" had earned him a new bruise on his arm and a death threat to go with it. Only after he had assured her that he would stand up for her should anyone question Berk's traditions and customs had she looked a little content and started packing.

Since having accepted the invitation to the wedding, for the first time since their partnership began, Hiccup had had some kind of correspondence with the queen of Arendelle. Sure over the last year they had at times sent a letter or two to each other to which the other had replied. But as they had discussed the arrangements for their stay they had had a more regular contact.

If three letters back and forth could be seen as a regular correspondence.

However the few letters had reveled something about the queen. Despite writing that the Queen of Arendelle was looking forward to finally meet him in person, Hiccup had during their correspondence taken notice to the correct, impersonal and almost cold language the queen used in all of her letters. The writing was always almost too perfect and when he had shown the letters to Astrid and Fishlegs, Astrid had simply said that the queen seemed as dull as a dead fish.

Hiccup himself had to admit that he didn't really know what to expect from the queen. When Princess Anna had spoken about her sister, it had been with a great fondness and respect. To him she had painted the picture of a loving and caring person, the opposite of the picture Hiccup had now gotten.

Then it was the information which Hiccup had gotten from the tradesmen.

The Vikings who traveled with goods to Arendelle always shared as much information they could about the foreign ruler, one story more strange than the other. They had told everyone how Queen Elsa was mostly referred to as the Snow Queen and that the citizens of Arendelle seemed to adore their ruler. But they had also heard strange rumors about how the queen needed cold and snow to survive and that she was colder than ice itself.

Only once had they managed to catch a glimpse of who they thought was the queen. It had been a late afternoon, as they were about to sail from the docks that they had seen a huge group of people had descend from the castle. The group had come down to the docks to inspect a new ship which had just been built and in the middle of the group the Vikings had spotted a tall woman with white hair and, despite this, a straight back which had not seemed troubled by age.

The Vikings had however never gotten a better look at her for they had been forced to navigate out of the bay and head out into open water.

This information however had not given Hiccup much more to go on, in fact it had only made him more confused. For while the queen seemed to be loved and adored, she, at the same time, seemed distant and unlikable. Perhaps she was a dull, demanding and uptight woman in her forties who at times showed acts of kindness? For now that was the best conclusion Hiccup could make.

After all which ruler was called the Snow Queen if there wasn't a good reason name?

As he pondered over this, the landscape underneath him had started to change as they flew in over new land. Mountains grew high into the sky, snow still covering the tops. The ground beneath them was hidden under huge forests which were mix of leaf trees and fir trees. Here and there, small rivers could be seen making their way from up the mountains and through the landscape to reach the ocean.

"Wow!" Astrid said they flew over the forest, having seemingly cooled off a bit since she had rejoined them once more.

"It's definitely different from Berk." Hiccup agreed as he took in the beautiful landscape.

A mist had started to flow down from the mountains and cover the ground beneath them, sweeping around the trees as if giving them a soft embrace. Toothless gave a sound which voiced his approval as they continued to fly towards their destination, flying closer to the mountains and readying themselves to climb higher.

"We need to hold this course north, which means we will have to fly over the mountains." Hiccup called to his two companions after having looked at his compass and the map he had fastened to Toothless' saddle.

"So what are we waiting for? Race ya!" Astrid called out before Stormfly took a huge sweep with her wings and the pair disappeared into the clouds.

"Come on bud!" Hiccup told Toothless as his dragon roared back happily as they took up the chase on Astrid and Stormfly.

"Not fair you guys!" Fishlegs called from behind them as Meatlug, his Gronkle, picked up her speed as well, but the couple was already far behind.

Hiccup laughed as he and Toothless climbed higher up into the sky and over the mountains. The air was getting colder, but compared to the cold on Berk it was still nothing. None of them even bothered to put on their thicker furs. Their cloths and armor were after all designed to protect them long into the winters on Berk.

It was hard to see clearly as they flew into the thick clouds, but they all relied on Toothless tp lead them right with his strange ability to see through sound.

As the three dragon riders flew on they called out insults to each other as they laughed and allowed their dragons to chase each other. For a while they forgot all about the fact that they were in a strange land about to meet and engage with people who were going to be very different from themselves.

For a moment they were all just young adults who were having a great time messing around with their best friends.

Then the clouds started to part as they climbed up above them and the afternoon sun came into view. It threw an orange-red light over a landscape of glittering snow. The snow covered all of the mountains which glowed like golden peaks.

"This is amazing!" Astrid called out as they all took in the landscape around them, their games forgotten as they all stared at the world of snow and ice which surrounded them as they kept on flying. It was almost bewitchingly beautiful.

Then suddenly Hiccup saw a shape that rose high against one of the mountain sides.

"What is that?" He called out, pointing towards the shape which reflected the sunrays in a way that created a glittering display of different colors, the light almost blinding them.

"It appears to be ice." Fishlegs said with awe as they flew closer.

"Only ice does not take that shape." Astrid said sounding cautious, sharing a confused look with Hiccup.

"No, it doesn't." Hiccup replied, a bad feeling settling over him as they flew closer.

The ice grew high above them as they neared, towers rising high into the sky. With wonder they realized it was a palace, one that seemed to have sprung up from nothing and by a coincidence decided to land on the mountain side.

The ice itself was unnaturally clear and seemed to pulsate with a strange, soft blue light which didn't come from the orange sun. Instead it seemed to come from inside the ice itself. It almost felt as if the ice was alive, pulsing with life as it rose eerily by the mountainside.

"It's flawless." Hiccup said with disbelief as they all hovered in the air a moment to look at what seemed to be impossible. In front of the palace was a huge canyon which meant that unless a giant lived in the palace, no one would ever be able to reach it.

"But how was it built? I mean, it seems to be built out of one block of solid ice but that should be impossible. Besides even if it were there would be traces of axes. How was this created?" Astrid said them with worried eyes.

"I don't know." Hiccup said, for once unable to even begin to understand how this was possible.

"Guys, there is something moving inside." Fishlegs suddenly whispered with fear as he pointed towards an enormous dark shape which could be seen moving thorough the ice-walls of the palace. Toothless gave a low growl, tensing up.

"I know I don't like it either bud. Come on, I think we should just leave, something about this place isn't right." Hiccup said feeling uneasy as he took in the lonely palace.

"Won't argue with you Hiccup, let's go." Astrid said as the three of them flew away, leaving the palace behind them.

Hiccup only looked back once at the palace which seemed to have been plucked right out of someone's imagination only to be put right onto the mountain side. Why would anyone build something so grand only to abandon it?

For some reason Hiccup then came to think about the fact that the Queen of Arendelle was called the Snow Queen. Could there be more to the name than he had originally thought? It seemed impossible, idiotic even, but still there had been Princess Anna's reluctance to talk about her sister. Had she been afraid to give something away?

After all if it was something his dad had taught him it was that all people held secrets, leaders in particul…

The pain hit him with the force of a Gronkle running into him as he remembered his father, and what had happened the last time he had not listened to his advice.

For a moment the pain was all he was aware about, the dark thoughts he always kept buried alive and filling him with guilt, pain and sorrow. It wasn't until Toothless did a small spin and cooed softly that Hiccup managed to break out of his dark thoughts, turning his focus forward just in time to see the mountains open up into a deep valley. A wonderfully green landscape with a huge fjord surrounding most of a small city with a huge castle in the middle came into view.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed his racing heart to calm a little as they flew in over Arendelle. It was time to meet Queen Elsa, the Snow Queen, and finally find out who she really was.

* * *

 **So some of you may wonder why I decided to enter Rapunzel and Eugene, the answer: I am a history nerd. Back when the monarchy and royal families were still strong in all of Europe, marriage between the royal families was very, very common. It was a way of securing peace and to strengthen bond between countries. Of course this didn't always work, but most of the times it was extremely effective. Therefore I think it makes sense that Rapunzel, Elsa and Anna could have been related.**

 **So now what do you think? And most of all what do you think will happen in the next chapter? After all we have three (four?) dragons, three Vikings and a queen who can throw ice from her hands, what could possibly go wrong?**

 **Until next time!**

/Lysistrate


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is so long and I have so many mixed feelings about it! It has been a horror to write and now, I am just publishing what I think is the best I can come up with! Also, somehow, I have lost my beta, but I have really tried to be thorough as I have edited this chapter, hopefully there aren't to many misspellings, but considering I have changed it a millon times, there probably are some!**

 **Laidyx:** Haha, you know there must be some tension for a coming chapter, this chapter however ends on a little friendlier note. I love your ideas for what could happen in this chapter, hopefully Astrid will hold herself in line, or at least we can hope that Elsa is wise enough not to fall for her tricks ;)

 **Comet Moon:** I'm happy that you seem to like it, it's always so fun to hear from a new reviewer!

 **Noctus Fury:** All I can say is, this chapter is walking on thin eyes as you will notice! I am so happy that you liked how I brought in Rapunzel and Eugene. Ohh the poor maids, I almost feel sorry for them! I can only imagine living in a castle with Hiccup and Eugene, they are not going to be staring at the clouds for a while haha! ;D

* * *

5.

As Elsa walked through the castle, everything she had ever learned about Vikings rushed through her mind. Anna had shared as much information on the Vikings as she had been able to after her visit on Berk, now Elsa only hoped that the friendly impression her sister had gotten would turn out to be correct.

After all, looking through all the old records on Vikings in the royal library, a very different picture had been painted of these people. There they were described as savages and conquers, known for burning cities to the ground, slaying children, kidnapping women and stealing gold. However, the last record of Vikings in Arendelle had been a spotting 200 years ago, so the records were very outdated.

Hopefully this meant that their culture indeed had evolved into the friendlier society which Anna had described.

What worried Elsa the most though, was the fact that the Vikings would bring dragons into her kingdom. This had been the greatest surprise that Anna had brought back with her a year ago. For hundreds of years, dragons had been believed to be extinct, killed off in a time when they had been hunted down fiercely. But not only had Anna told Elsa that the dragons were alive, they had also been thriving alongside the Vikings of Berk for many years.

The relationship between the Vikings and the dragon had fascinated Elsa enormously when Anna had told her about it. Apparently the two races had been at war for as long as either race could remember, but something had changed which had caused their relationship to change drastically.

When she had asked her sister, Anna been a little uncertain exactly what had happened, but she had known that it was Chief Haddock and his dragon who had been the main reasons for the change.

This had awoken another worry in Elsa, for what kind of man was able to tame a dragon? Who was this Chief Haddock who had managed to end a war which had been going on for generations?

All she could imagine was an impressive giant of a man, with a huge beard and a helmet with massive horns attached to it. This was, after all, how most Vikings had been described in the books she had read and she really had nothing else to compare to.

Of course she could have asked Anna what Chief Haddock looked like, her sister had even told her when she got back from Berk. At that point though Elsa hadn't paid the information any attention, simply because it had not interested her. Now she thought it would have been wise to at least know what to expect.

When Elsa finally reached the courtyard, she had to stop just outside of the castle doors as she took in the sea of people who had gathered there. They were all whispering and pointing towards the sky where tiny dots could be seen near the northern mountains.

A cold feeling settled over Elsa as she realized this meant that the Vikings probably had passed by her own palace of solitude. This however was not the moment to fear that Marshmallow had somehow noticed the three guests passing or not, and she pushed the thought back to worry about another time.

"Kai!" She called, and at once the captain of Elsa's personal guard stood next to her. The man had been with her since she was a child and he was one of the few people she fully trusted.

"Yes, your majesty!" He said, looking at her with eyes which betrayed his own nervousness at the coming guests.

"I want the villagers out of the courtyard. The dragons will never be able to land and I want our first encounter with the Vikings not to be displayed in front of my people." She said with a voice which, to her relief, sounded as firm and strong as she wanted it to be.

"You wish me to call on the guards to lead them out?" Kai asked.

Elsa thought this over for a second before shaking her head.

"No, just make sure I get some attention." She said.

Nodding his head, Kai waved to the guards around the courtyard, who all nodded in his direction before three of them went to ring the great old clock which was used to call upon the attention of the people. Soon the sound of the clock echoed over the courtyard and the people of Arendelle became quiet, turning towards the stairs where their queen stood.

"People of Arendelle, I understand that you are just as curious about our new guests as I am! After all, it has been many years since our land was visited by Vikings and dragons. Despite this, I ask of you that you still your curiosity a little longer and allows them to settle in in peace. They have traveled far and they will most certainly be tired from their journey. Therefore, you must allow them some room, at least for the moment."

There was no room for compromise in Elsa's voice and even though the words were kind, everyone could hear the power behind them. Most of the spectators felt that it was no room for argument and left immediately, trusting in Queen Elsa's judgment. Only a few people tried to stay behind, but were quickly, and firmly, guided out of the courtyard by the royal guards.

"Close the gates, I don't want any surprises at the moment." Elsa said to Kai, who was still standing next to her, and he signaled to the two guards by the gates to close them. The two nodded their heads and closed the gates with combined forces.

"Thank you, Kai." Elsa said, and the captain bowed his head before stepping back a little, still standing close to his queen.

"You know; Chief Haddock is really easy to get along with. It will go well. Besides, if it doesn't, you can just send an ice blast at him." Anna said, trying to ease the tension somewhat. But as Elsa simply sent her a harsh look, she knew her attempt had not been very successful.

"Or we could just send Olof and Sven after them." She therefore added, this time getting a small smile from Elsa who shook her head a little at her words. Happy that she had gotten a response, Anna took Elsa's hand and gave it a small squeeze, telling her sister it was going to be fine, before letting go.

Up in the sky the three dragons were now circling above them, getting ready to land. When they had circled a few times, all three of them began to descend from the sky.

Getting closer to the ground, the dragons and riders readied themselves for the impact, all three of them landing smoothly on the stone covered courtyard. The Vikings took in the high walls surrounding them and were slightly curious about two large structures in the middle of the open space. The two structures were shooting water high into the sky only for it fall into a pool again underneath.

Standing on solid ground for the first time in almost a day, the dragons took a few steps to get used to hard ground before standing still so that their riders could get off. Hiccup detached his prosthetic leg from Toothless saddle and changed it so that it would be more comfortable to stand on before he jumped off of Toothless.

When he landed on the ground, Toothless nudged him in the side affectionately and in return Hiccup patted his dragon as he loosened the reins on his saddle a little, discreetly taking in their surroundings as he tried to ignore all the eyes he could feel staring at them.

Meanwhile, Elsa took in the sight of the three Vikings and their dragons from her place on top of the stairs. To anyone around her, she was wearing the unreadable expression she so often wore in her role as queen and it was a mask she had mastered long ago.

Elsa could see that all of the Vikings were wearing light armor around their arms and legs, something that worried her slightly, but she also noted, with surprise, that only one of the men could be described as unusually large.

The huge man was the one farthest to the left and he was also the first to take off the helmet that covered his face, only to, to Elsa's amusement, replace it with another that had two tiny horns attached to it. The man was of normal height, but had a very broad and round build. His hair, which stuck out from under his new helmet, was blond.

The man appeared to be talking affectionately with his dragon who, ironically, was of a very round build as well. The dragon had an orangey color and looked strangely compact, almost more like a flying boulder than a dragon, and its wings were strangely small for its size.

As she watched the man, something about him made Elsa certain that this man was not Chief Haddock. She therefore turned her attention to the Viking farthest to the right who had just turned in their direction.

To her surprise Elsa saw that this rider was a woman. Anna had told Elsa that women had a very different role in society on Berk and yet, it was strange to see a woman standing equally next to two men.

The woman appeared to be the same height as the blond man and she was watching them with calculating, piercing dark blue eyes. She had a lean build, but her calm and firm stance showed that her body was stronger than it appeared. In other words, Elsa did not doubt that the knife and axe in her belt was not there for show.

The woman was, just like the man, blond and her hair was up in a long braid which fell down her back. Overall, despite the slightly harsh, cautious expression on her face, she was a true beauty and Elsa noticed how many of the younger guards were throwing threw quick glances in her direction.

Not that Elsa blamed them, this woman was exotic compared to the maids they usually met and she was radiating with confidence. That she was dressed in a short skirt and a strange fur-hood probably only added to the appeal.

Her dragon was also, ironically, very similar to its rider. Its scales were light blue, with sharp spikes on its head, back and tail which gave it a terrifying impression. It was also the largest of the three dragons and looked almost bored as it took in its surroundings.

"The man to left is Fishlegs and the woman is Astrid, Chief Haddock's right hand." Anna leaned over and whispered to Elsa, wanting to see if her sister would react to the information. Elsa, however, simply nodded her head in thanks before she let out a small breath and began walking towards the the three Vikings.

As they walked over the courtyard, Anna noticed how Elsa seemed to flow over the ground majestically, the perfect picture of royal grace. Behind her sister, Anna suddenly felt clumsy and out of place, something which she always had a tendency of doing next to Elsa, especially when her sister fully entered her role as Queen. For where Elsa had always been tact and grace, Anna had been clumsiness and giddiness.

Before the thought even had time to take root though, Kristoff suddenly took her hand in his and gave her warm smile. As he looked at her, Anna could see that in his eyes, she was perfect and the feeling of not being enough died as quickly as it had appeared as her heart swelled with love. When Kristoff had learned to read her so well she didn't know, but she nevertheless loved him for it.

The group finally reached the Vikings just as the man in the middle took off the helmet that covered his face and he ruffled his hair as he fastened it to his dragon's saddle. He then turned in their direction and when he did, Elsa was, with one word, surprised.

Chief Haddock appeared to be in his mid-twenties and he was easily the tallest of both the Vikings and her own group. He had a very lean build compared to the other Vikings, even the woman. His left leg ended in a strange metal prosthetic which Elsa had to force herself not to stare at, knowing it was highly inappropriate. As he moved however, Elsa could not help to be impressed at his fluid and agile movements. It appeared the leg didn't bother him at all, making her wonder how long he had lived with the prosthetic.

Also unlike the other two Vikings, his hair was dark brown and unruly. It was a little longer than Kristoff's, which meant it was a length you never saw on the average noblemen, and, despite herself, Elsa found that she liked the fact that Chief Haddock differed from the boring nobility.

However, it was his piercing green eyes that caught her full attention. They were a dark green color she had never seen before, and they were just as impossible to read as her own.

In three words: Elsa hated them.

The color itself was beautiful, mesmerizing even, but one of the talents Elsa most relied on was her ability to read other people, and this was the first time she had come up completely blank which frustrated her slightly.

Overall the Chief could not be described as beautiful, nor dashing as Eugene, but Elsa would lie if she did not admit that the Viking Chief could, _perhaps,_ be seen as appealing. At least in a "ruff" sort of way which was very uncommon among the men she met daylily.

The dragon standing next to him was the most catlike of all the dragons. It was pitch black and while it did not have spikes like the blue dragon, nor a huge mazelike tail as the orangey one, Elsa felt that the Chief's dragon, just like its rider, was simply a creature that did not give up his secrets so easily.

As she inspected the dragon it suddenly turned its own attention to her and met her eyes. As she met its eyes Elsa felt herself grew cold inside as piercing green eyes, nearly the same color as the Chief's, stared back at her. Not only was the likeliness uncanny, but as the dragon stared at her it was with an extremely intelligent and calculating look which told her that this creature was not simply a common pet. This was a person in its own, and it was highly aware of everything that went on.

The dragon then sniffed a little in air, his eyes never leaving hers, and it was not until Chief Haddock put his hand on its neck that it seemed to relax a little. The dragon looked up at him and blinked once before its eyes landed on Elsa once more, but this time its eyes were not as hard. Instead there was a curiosity in them as it kept on staring at her intensely.

As a natural response to her own discomfort, Elsa felt her power rise within and swirl underneath the surface, ready to deafened her should anything happen. But at the same moment her power rose within, the dragon once again smelled in the air as its eyes narrowed slightly. Its curiosity now mixing caution once more.

Telling herself that nothing would happen, Elsa managed to calm the cold flowing in her veins and as a result, the dragon immediately seemed to relax again, though it still looked at her with caution.

With surprise Elsa realized that the dragon was somehow able sense the power she carried within and, to her frustration, she could see that Chief Haddock had noticed his companion's odd behavior as well. His eyes traveled between his dragon and Elsa before they finally landed on her, still unreadable.

For a moment they simply stared into each other's eyes. She could see that the Chief was taking in her appearance and she wondered what he was thinking. What had he expected? Was she as he had imagined her? Or was she a surprise to him just as he had been to her?

For a few more seconds they both tried to read the other without success before Elsa decided to break the silence.

"I am very happy to finally meet you in person, Chief Haddock." She finally said in fluent Norse, and for a moment the Chief simply stared at her before an appreciative gleam appeared in his eyes and the hint of a smile grazed his lips. It surprised her how such a small change suddenly made him seem much more approachable, and how that in turn made her feel more at ease.

"As I am to finally meet you, Queen Elsa." Chief Haddock said, as he took a step forward and held out his hand for her to shake.

His gesture caused most of the guards around the courtyard to tense up as they stared at the Chief with anger. Any other guest, no matter his position, always bowed to the queen as they greeted her. They were after all guests in her land, and to bow was a clear sign of respect for her generosity. That the Viking Chief would suggest that he and their queen should shake hands, as some kind of equals in her own kingdom, was an insult of the highest degree!

The Vikings noted the tension the second it appeared and Astrid discreetly put her hand on the handle of her axe while Fishlegs looked around cautiously, both of them ready to act in case anyone would try to make a move towards Hiccup.

But the tension dropped quickly as Queen Elsa simply looked down at the Chief's outstretched hand, a small smile on her face, before she took his hand in her own without any hesitation. Neither one of them cared about the surrounding tension as they shared a firm handshake, looking into each other's eyes with hints of appreciation.

In Elsa's case she felt respect towards the Chief for having decided to treat her as he would have treated any other equal in his own culture. In Hiccup's case, he liked how the Queen so easily had accepted and seemingly understood that his actions, indeed, was a clear sign of respect since he was choosing to treat her as any leader within his own society.

As they shook hands, Elsa noted how her small soft hand was a stark contrast to Chief Haddock's rough one. His hand revealed that this was not a man who simply sat in a room delegating orders, he had to be a part of the daylily life on Berk, something she thought told a lot about his character.

"You have to excuse my guards Chief Haddock; they simply love traditions at times." Elsa said with a polite smile as they let go of each other, both relaxing a little for the first time. Chief Haddock nodded, seemingly appreciating that she had chosen to not ignore the tense moment.

"There is nothing wrong in wanting to defend the honor of their ruler." He answered calmly, a hint of challenge in his voice. This time it was Elsa who nodded instead, knowing he was referring to the fact that Astrid just now had dropped her hand from the axe in her belt, looking as tense as ever.

"None at all. In fact, I find that loyalty is the highest praise one can get." Elsa said to him honestly. "Now as far as introductions go, I know you have already met my sister Anna and her fiancée Kristoff." Elsa said, deciding to change the subject, waving her sister and Kristoff forward.

"I think I remember somewhat. It's good to see you again Princess Anna." Chief Haddock said, and this time a genuine warm smile spread over his face as he shook Anna's hand as well. But despite his warm smile, Elsa noted his eyes were as unreadable as before, telling her that he was still on his guard.

"Somewhat? Trust me, you are very well remembered on Berk after your punching impression Princess Anna." The woman, Astrid, spoke up for the first time, a grin on her face as she nodded towards Anna in greeting. Her comment, which was met with a glare from the Chief, caused the man named Fishlegs to chuckle and despite his glare, The Chief seemed to hold back his own laughter as well.

Anna on the other hand blushed fiercely as she avoided Elsa's questioning look.

"We are both very happy you could come, Chief Hiccup." Anna said instead, smiling at the Vikings, as Kristoff shook the Chief's hand, Elsa noticing that Kristoff put more pressure behind it than needed.

"I hope everything is well with Mr. Snotlout Jorgenson?" He asked with a harsh tone. This time Chief Haddock didn't even try to hold back his grin as both Astrid and Fishlegs burst out laughing.

"His nose is forever crocked, but otherwise he's fine." Chief Haddock answered as he winked at Anna who had an innocent look on her face, her cheeks once again turning a little red as she smiled back at the Chief.

Elsa on the other hand felt very confused and for a moment she looked between Anna and Chief Haddock before she felt dread fill her. He could not mean that Anna had….?

"Anna, don't tell me you did what I think you did!" She exclaimed with disbelief, not caring that this was not the time for a confrontation as Anna met her sister's eyes for the first time.

"What? It's not like I really hurt anyone! I mean his nose did break but I didn't mean to hit him on the nose! It just happened to, you know, be in the way. Besides, he was being very clingy and Chief Hiccup has already agreed that he had it coming." Anna said, having the decency to look embarrassed.

Elsa threw a glance at the Chief who gave her an amused smile in return and Elsa decided let go of the subject since he, indeed, seemed okay with what had happened. At least she would let it go for the moment.

"She did all of Berk a favor, Thor knows how many times I have wanted to punch that self-absorbed dumbass in the face myself." The woman, Astrid, said as she walked up next to Chief Haddock and gave Anna a pleased smile.

"So pushing him off a cliff and nearly braking his arm doesn't count?" Chief Haddock said, smiling down at the blond woman as she scoffed, Elsa watching them with interest.

"Doesn't add up to all the times I have wanted to punch him!" She said, turning to Elsa with challenging eyes as she folded her arms over her chest, showing clearly she was not going to give Elsa the respect of shaking hands. "I am Astrid by the way, the Chiefs right hand and his closest friend. This is Stormfly, my dragon." At the last part she nodded in the direction of the blue dragon who was now inspecting one of the fountains.

"It's nice to meet you both, you are very welcome to Arendelle." Elsa simply answered, keeping her hands folded in front of her as she met Astrid's eyes without backing down an inch. This was her kingdom and even though she was not going to demand respect from anyone or force them to follow Arendelle's customs, she was not going to show politeness to someone who didn't show it in return.

Simply put, Elsa didn't care if she was liked or not. If someone disliked her, she was not going to put her energy into changing their minds. After all, tolerating the presence of people she disliked was something she did daylily. Not that she disliked Astrid, it was still to early for that.

"Thank you Astrid." Chief Haddock said with an annoyed look and an edge to his voice Elsa knew very well, for she herself used when she wanted to remind someone of their place without making it to obvious. At his words, Astrid to looked up at the Chief with fierce eyes, and for a moment it looked as if she was going to say something. In the end though, she simply gave him a sour look before she stalked away to her dragon.

When Chief Haddock turned back to Elsa, he looked slightly apologetic.

"Sorry about that, Astrid is… well she is Astrid. Now, this is Toothless." Chief Haddock said, gesturing to his own dragon who slightly nodded his head in Elsa's direction and she did the same. "And this is… Sharpshot!" Chief Haddock said the name with a harsh voice as a flash of green was suddenly heading towards Elsa with lightning speed.

On instinct Elsa rose her hands to deflect whatever was approaching, but before she had the chance to do anything the flash was already sliding into a stop by her feet. A tiny dragon looked up at her with yellow eyes, sniffing at her dress.

Around her chaos started to spread as all the guards took to their weapons, ready to come to the aid of their queen. But uncertain of how to act without hurting her, they thankfully didn't rush forward. Instead they looked at Kai to see if he would get her out of danger so they could attack the beast.

Kai on the other hand, who had forgotten all about his troops, drew his own sword, ready to rush forward and kill the attacker. But just as he was about to leap forward to defend his queen, he was halted in his step as she held up her hand towards him, telling him to stop.

For a moment, Kai wondered if he should disobey her orders to stop, but as if knowing what had crossed his mind she threw him a harsh look. Reluctantly, Kai therefore took a step back and put away his sword he raised his hand to tell the other guards not to interfere at the moment.

Hoping the situation was not about to get out of control, Elsa turned her attention back to the small dragon on the ground. The little creature had now begun scratching at the hem of her dress while whining loudly.

"He wants you to pick him up." Chief Haddock said, looking calmly at the scene and Elsa had to admit she was impressed that he seemed completely unfazed by the fact that her guards had nearly attacked him. As she registered his words however, that thought quickly disappeared.

"What?!" She exclaimed, not able to hold back all of her distress as she looked at the Chief with huge eyes. In return he simply smiled at her, his obvious amusement not entertaining her the slightest and she couldn't help to glare at him a little. Thankfully, Chief Haddock appeared to be a smart man for he immediately composed his features once more.

"He wants you to pick him up." He repeated.

Elsa looked down at the small dragon who was now staring at her pleading eyes.

Deep inside Elsa knew that this was one of those vital moments where the foundations of a relationship could strengthen or crumble. She also knew exactly what she needed to do to win Chief Haddock's respect, no matter how much that frightened her and went against her instincts.

So after an encouraging nod from Anna, who had told her that the dragons were supposed to be friendly, and her own hope that Chief Haddock wasn't trying to kill her, Elsa pushed down her fear along with her power as she bent down and picked up the small dragon.

It surprised her how light the small creature was; it was no bigger than a cat, but still it felt a lot lighter. It was also strangely warm against her always cold skin and she could feel its warm breath as it smelled her hands with great interest.

Then the small creature suddenly began sucking on one her fingers and Elsa could not hold back the cold which escaped from her hands. The small dragon immediately let go of the finger, chewing in the air as it looked up into her scolding eyes.

To her surprise, as it met her gaze, it simply bent down its ears as if apologizing for its behavior and then curled up in her arms as it began to purr. Its scales were surprisingly soft and Elsa had to admit that it actually was kind of cute.

"You seem to be a natural with dragons Queen Elsa." At his words Elsa looked up at Chief Haddock who was looking at her with interest and a kind smile. Under his piercing gaze Elsa suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

"Thank you! So what was the name of this little dragon then?" She asked, looking down at the small dragon to avoid the Chief's eyes for a moment.

"His name is Sharpshot. He is my messenger dragon and a terror." Hiccup answered as he watched how Sharpshot laid contently in the arms of the Queen, looking around at everyone surrounding him. That the impulsive dragon had nearly caused a minor disaster seemed completely lost to him.

Still, for once, the terror's impulsiveness had not been a bad thing. Hiccup had noticed that Toothless had been, and still was, very curious about the Queen and now Sharpshot had shown an equal interest. It was strange to say the least and Hiccup could not help to wonder why his dragons were reacting so strongly towards Queen Elsa.

"And you train all of your dragons to deliver messages?" Queen Elsa asked, looking up at him again with curiosity as she scratched a happy Sharpshot behind one ear.

Once again, Queen Elsa surprised him with her openness, respect and seemingly honest interest about their ways of life and their dragons. Considering how Hiccup had imagined the Queen he would have thought she would look down upon their simple life since her own culture was so very differently advanced than theirs. But instead she seemed ready to embrace it with an open mind.

"No, just this type of dragon and not all of them can be trained, they are mostly too impulsive to rely on and they like to travel in groups." Hiccup answered honestly. Still he didn't want to share just how many hours of training that was really behind each terror capable of delivering messages and left that information out. But as Queen Elsa looked at him with a thoughtful and calculating look in her piercing ice blue eyes, Hiccup got the feeling she didn't fully buy his causal reply.

He had early on noticed how Queen Elsa seemed extremely good at reading people. Thankfully, over the years as Chief, Hiccup himself had become a master at concealing his emotions. The only problem was, Queen Elsa appeared to be even better at this game than he was and he never knew how much he was giving away.

"I see." Queen Elsa finally replied simply. "Well then, perhaps you should return to Chief Haddock now when we have said hello little guy?" She then said to Sharpshot who looked at her with defying eyes. A small purring sound could be heard from him and Hiccup, who recognized the sound, imagined how the terrible little dragon threw a small fireball at the Queen and the chaos that unfold.

To his surprise however, Sharpshot immediately stopped purring as the Queen simply threw him a challenging look. The next second he had left her arms and was soaring towards Princess Anna, landing on her shoulder as he took one of her braids into his mouth. At his behavior the princess simply laughed and happily scratched him under his chin.

This, however, turned out to only be a distraction as Sharpshot suddenly got a hold of the diamond ring on her finger and flew away with it in his mouth. For a second everyone simply stared after the small dragon before Kristoff started running after him.

"He seems like quite the handful." Queen Elsa said calmly as she took in the scene of Kristoff running after the small dragon.

To Hiccup's relief she didn't appear upset at Sharpshot's behavior, instead there was a small amused smile on her face, which grew when three of the guards joined in on the hunt as well on her captain's command.

Princess Anna was laughing loudly, clutching her sides as she cheered them all on and even Astrid was grinning widely as she looked at the stressed guards.

"If only handful would cover it." Hiccup answered with chuckle, happy that they had not brought Fishlegs' terror with them as well. "Toothless, perhaps you can help them out a little." He said to his black dragon, feeling a little sorry for the men hunting Sharpshot who was now sitting on top of one of the water decorations.

Toothless however simply gave Hiccup a look which clearly said he still found the situation to funny to anything just yet.

"Is there any risk for the ring to be permanently stolen?" Queen Elsa suddenly asked with a calm voice and Hiccup shared a questioning look with Toothless.

"None at all, he's simply playing around, he is still young." Hiccup answered honestly, wondering what the Queen was thinking.

"Well, then I see no rush to catch him. Princess Anna clearly doesn't mind so let him have his fun. Besides, my guards can need to get to know a dragon of his sort a bit more, I would not want them to accidently injure one in the future." She told him as new round of guards joined in on the hunt while the others were catching their breaths.

At her words, and her hint at their continued partnership, Hiccup couldn't help to grin at her.

"As you wish then, Queen Elsa. In the meantime, I can introduce you to the last of my company: This is Fishlegs, the man you have been mostly in contact with, and this is his dragon Meatlug." He said as the couple stepped forward. Hiccup noted how the Queen's eyes swept over the pair, taking them in just as carefully as she had done with all of them before her usual polite smile appeared once more.

"I have heard many positive things about you Master Fishlegs, my council and I are very impressed with your work." At her words, Fishlegs began fumbling with his hands as he turned a little red, looking everywhere except at the queen.

"Thank you madam, I mean my lady… uhm… your majesty." Fishlegs's stammered while Hiccup did his best not to say anything teasing to his friend. Next to him, Toothless was rolling his eyes at the man who was staring at Queen Elsa with a dazed look.

"If you wish to call her anything, your majesty is the best." Princess Anna said, having a huge smile on her face as she looked at Fishlegs with compassionate eyes, making Hiccup wonder how many men she had seen pining after her sister over the years, and just how many who had been able to do more than simply adore her from a distance.

As he took in Queen Elsa's kind face full of patience as she seemed to wait for Fishlegs to say anything more, Hiccup knew that this was probably a situation far from unusual to her. How many that had been able to get close to her however was impossible to say considering it was impossible to see if she was flattered or not.

Not that it was in any interest for Hiccup, after all the Queen's personal life was not for him to interfere with.

"You heard that Fishlegs? Or you can just keep on mumbling, that way nothing can go wrong can it?" Astrid suddenly said gleefully, breaking the silence as Fishlegs turned red with anger, and probably embarrassment as well. Hiccup sighed and was just about to interfere when Queen Elsa gave Fishlegs a kind smile.

"What title you choose to use is not of vital importance Master Fishlegs, I am not your queen and as I have been informed they are not commonly used on Berk. Now however I suspect you all would like some time to rest before tonight so perhaps you would like to see where you will be living during your stay?" Queen Elsa said, giving Hiccup a small nod as he sent her thankful look for her interference.

"Yes, thank you, that would be great." He answered, before Astrid or Fishlegs had the time to say anything.

"Wonderful! As your hostess I shall of course show you to the cottages we have prepared for your stay myself. Now, if you will just follow me." Queen Elsa said as she took the lead, Hiccup and Toothless falling in next to her, the rest following them along with five guards and the man who appeared to be their captain.

Their presence was not something which went unnoticed by Hiccup and he exchanged a look with Astrid who gave him a small nod as she kept a close eye on the men surrounding them. Knowing Astrid was on alert, Hiccup turned towards the Queen who walking calmly next to him.

"Do you fear to be attacked your majesty?" He simply asked, concealing as much of his own tension as he could. At his question, Queen Elsa simply gave him a polite smile as she looked at him steadily.

"My guards follow me everywhere when I leave the castle Chief Haddock. Thankfully, they have not needed to interfere so far." She answered calmly, but he could see a slight tension in her shoulders. It was almost as if she was expecting him to argue with her, and although Hiccup highly doubted that the Queen brought this many guards with her on a normal walk, he also thought it showed that she was a wise enough not to trust anyone before she had a reason to.

After all, only fools believed themselves to be safe from the dangers of the world, something that Hiccup himself had learned the hard way. As his dark thoughts entered he felt Toothless nudge him a little in the side and he sent his friend a thankful look.

As it turned out, the Queen was not leading them through the main gates, but through a smaller gate at the back of the open yard.

"I assumed that you didn't want to be displayed for all of Arendelle, at least not yet." She said to Hiccup as she saw his questioning look as they had walked through the gate, and once again Hiccup had to admit he was a little surprised at her consideration.

"The gate will be open for you during your stay here, but of course are you all very welcome to inspect the city if you would like." Queen Elsa continued as they walked into the forest.

"Thank you, I think Fishlegs will invade the town as soon as he is able to, he has been talking about nothing else the whole journey." Hiccup answered, hitting himself mentally as he saw how Queen Elsa threw him a cautious look at the word "invade". Hiccup was after all not unaware of his ancestors past.

"Well, I hope it will live up to his expectations." Queen Elsa said slowly. "As for your journey I hope it went without trouble. Was the map to any help?"

"It was; we never would have found our way without it, so it was very kind of you to send it." Hiccup answered, and at his reply the Queen gave him a small smile, seemingly relaxing a little again.

"I am happy it came to use. Of course I hope we will get the chance to discuss our partnership a little while you are here Chief Haddock. We are very pleased with it, but there are always matters which… Ah here we are." She exclaimed as the forest opened up before them, showing three small cottages. To each of them there was a windshield attached to the back.

"Princess Anna told me that your dragons prefer sleeping outside, but we added the windshields for them so that they can get shelter if the weather turns foul." The Queen said, gesturing to the windshields which indeed looked completely new.

"They would have managed, but they will like it. Thank you, it was very kind Queen Elsa." Hiccup said as the Queen smiled at him, and for the first time it was something close to warmth in it.

"If there is anything missing, just send a message with the boy who will come here in a few hours. He will lead you to the welcoming dinner which will be held tonight at the castle. There you will have a change to met the other guests. The boy will also instruct you should you have any questions about the event." Queen Elsa told him as Sharpshot suddenly came soaring through the air and landed on her shoulder.

A second later, a guard appeared and he barely had the time to come into a stop next to the queen when he noticed that the tiny dragon had taken refuge on her shoulder.

"My queen!" He exclaimed as he bowed deeply to her.

The Queen looked a little stunned at first, but then she smiled at Sharpshot who still had the diamond ring in his mouth as she threw an amused look at the nervous guard.

"Are you having some trouble catching this little guy Mr. Jacobsen?" She asked the guard who glared at Sharpshot. The dragon looking very innocent.

"He is quite the terror Queen Elsa." The man said as Queen Elsa, her glittering eyes gliding over to Hiccup who shrugged his shoulders.

"I told you." He said, smiling as the guard sent him a nervous look.

"So you did Chief Haddock. Well, perhaps you will have better luck next time Mr. Jacobsen." Queen Elsa said to the guard who bowed once more before retreating to the rest of guards who were watching the scene with grins on their faces.

"Now I would very much like for you to give that ring back." Queen Elsa said to Sharpshot, holding up her hand to him. The small dragon however simply avoided her hand and lifted into the air once more, ready to keep up the game he was playing.

To Hiccup's shock though, his dragon didn't come far as Queen Elsa rose her hand and waved it in Sharpshot's direction. As she did this, a gust of wind and snow appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It flew towards Sharpshot and threw the small dragon out of balance, giving him no other choice than to land on the ground.

Once he did, he shook off the snow which had stuck on his wings as he sprinted over to Queen Elsa and laid the ring by her feet before retreating up to his normal place on Toothless's back.

"Now that wasn't so hard now was it?" Queen Elsa said casually as she bent down and picked up the ring. "Until later this evening then Chief Haddock, Toothless and Sharpshot." She then said as she winked in their direction and threw them all an innocent smile before she turned and walked away, wishing his friends and their dragons' farewell as well.

Standing rooted in place the three Vikings were left to stare after her, Princess Anna, Kristoff and the guards with a mix of shock, amazement and disbelief.

"What… did she just… how…?" Fishlegs stammered as Hiccup and Astrid just shrugged their shoulders. Then Astrid suddenly tensed and her expression turned sour as she noted that one of the guards had stayed behind.

"Why are you still here?" Astrid hissed at the remaining guard while eying him angrily, causing him to swallow nervously.

"The queen wishes that all of her guests feel protected, my lady." He stammered as Astrid's eyes turned even darker at his poor choice of words.

"We are Vikings; we hardly need any protection! And don't you ever dare to call me a lady again! If you do, I will cut your leg off with my axe to show you just how much of a bloody lady I'm not!" She spat and with those words she walked away, Stormfly following her rider while chattering angrily. Fishlegs and Meatlug exchanged a look with Hiccup before they followed Astrid quickly as well.

Hiccup however was looking at the remaining guard, who was now wearing a very frightened expression on his face.

"You know what, I will give you some advice from a Viking to a non-Viking; never call the lady a lady. Especially considering she really is marvelous with that axe of hers." Hiccup said with a wolfish grin as he patted the guard on the shoulder. "Also, I cannot guarantee that our dragons will appreciate the company, they are quite territorial. But I suppose you will probably notice if they don't want you around." He added, as he walked past the guard who looked at him with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing in fear.

As Hiccup walked towards the cottages, he chuckled a little to himself before his racing thoughts took over. Vikings believed in many mythical creatures, they lived with dragons for Odin's sake, but controlling the elements? That was a different story and it woke far too many questions.

First of all, what was Queen Elsa really capable of? Could the flawless ice palace they had seen be her creation? After all, did not an ice palace seem oddly fitting for a Snow Queen? And if she had created it, what more could she do?

But most importantly, what kind of situation had Hiccup led his friends into?

* * *

"You couldn't have been a bit subtler, and, I don't know, broken the news a bit more carefully?" Anna asked her sister as they headed back towards the castle.

"Anna, there is no way to brake the fact that a person can control ice and snow carefully. Besides, they need to know before tonight, everyone else already knows." Elsa answered.

"Perhaps, but there was no need to show off!" Anna huffed, looking a little thoughtful before she suddenly started laughing loudly.

"What?" Elsa asked her sister, wondering if the wedding nerves had finally gone to her head and driven her crazy. She became even more worried when Anna looked at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"It's just that we were worried about how the presence of _just_ Eugene would rile up the female staff. Just wait till we have both him and Chief Haddock in the same room." She said as a huge grin spread over her face. Elsa stared at her sister for a moment before realizing she was probably right and she groaned at the thought.

"Dear God, they will try to eat each other alive just to get a glimpse of them! I am so happy the men servants are handling the dinners, otherwise we would have a civil war every meal as they all tried to serve either man at their table." She said, already thinking about the war which would, without a doubt, go on downstairs anyway. "I have to talk to Mrs. Tomson."

"I'm not so certain that will prevent a civil war Elsa." Anna said as she began laughing again, Kristoff joining in while Elsa just looked extremely tired, thinking about the extra work.

Behind the trio, all of the guards were doing their best not laugh at the Queen's obvious distress. Well, all except Kai. He simply sent them all a harsh look and told them that if they didn't wipe their grins off their faces, he would offer them up to Mrs. Tomson every time she needed help to break up any fights between the maids the coming week.

This caused all of the men to to turn ashen and their smiles were gone in a second. Turning forward, it was Kai who grinned instead, feeling very happy to know that for once, his troops would follow his every whim.

When he thought about it, the Vikings and the royal couple from Corona was allowed to stay in Arendelle for as long as they wished, he was not going to argue.

* * *

 **So that was one very long chapter! I really hope you liked it! Of course you have to tell me what you thought!**

 **Did you notice any of the little hints I've dropped? What did you think about Elsa's way to "brake the news" and how do you think the Vikings will react? Also what did you think of little Sharpshot? Remember a review will make him very happy! ;)**

Now I am going to bury myself in some more books! Until next time!

/Lysistrate


	6. Chapter 6

**New chapter and it's long! What is wrong with me, why can't I write shorter chapters? hahaha**

 **Anyway I am posting this so late at night, so there might be some errors (you know the usual drill by now ;) )  
So it is finally time for you guys to find out: What is really going on with Hiccup and Astrid! I have gotten this question so many times and I have not wanted to spoil anything for I knew what was coming, and soon, so will you!**

Laidyx:

Astrid is actually behaving better than I expected her as well, but she is still a Viking and anything can happen. So glad that you liked the long chapter, for here is another one! ;D

* * *

6.

Hiccup sat by the table, which was placed close to the fireplace in the small cottage, pushing a pencil back and froth between his hands, deep in thought. Toothless was laying on the floor next to him, sleeping, while Sharpshot occupied the bed.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality as Astrid and Fishlegs walked inside without even waiting for a reply. They had taken off their armor and, just like Hiccup, washed away the dirt from their journey. They had also changed into the Vikings more classical attire.

This meant that Hiccup and Fishlegs were both wearing long tunics that ended just above their knees and dark cotton pants. Fishlegs was also wearing his helmet and a belt around his round waist.

Hiccup was, as usual, not wearing a helmet, but he also had a leather belt around his waist to hold his dark red tunic in place. Unlike the other two Vikings, he was also wearing black armor around his forearms. The armor was made out of scales he had collected from Toothless over the years and the way it reflected the light from the fire made it look like as if there were hints of red and green in it as well.

To anyone who had never met a dragon, the armor could easily be mistaken for black opal, one of the most expensive gems in the world.

Astrid was dressed in the same way as she would have been if she had attended a party on Berk. She was wearing a dark blue short sleeved tunic which was tucked in under a dark grey skirt with short spikes and ended just above her knees. Under the skirt she wore black tights to cover her legs.

Years ago, the spikes on Astrid's skirts had been made out of metal, but just like Hiccup had created armor from Toothless hard, fireproof scales, she had over the years replaced the metal with spikes which she had collected from Stormfly. On her arms she had tied dark brown leather ropes in complicated designs.

"So, do our great Chief approve?" Astrid asked as she sat down in the chair next to Hiccup, looking at the drawing that lay in front of him on the table. It was an early layout for a picture that, when it was done, would become the city of Arendelle.

"As if you would change anything even if I said that I didn't." Hiccup answered, putting down the pen and smiled as Astrid picked it up instead while giving him a small grin as she began to fill out some of the lines on the paper.

"So, who is going to address the dragon in the room?" Astrid said, focused on the paper.

"If you refer to the fact that Queen Elsa apparently can control snow with a wave of her hand, all I can say is the obvious; We really need to find out more about her power." Hiccup said with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

"That's really all you have to say?" Astrid asked, looking up from the paper with a skeptical look.

"What more is there to say?" Hiccup answered as he shrugged his shoulders. "This was not what we expected and it rises many questions, but what can we do about it?"

"We can demand some answers." Astrid said fiercely.

"We could, but we are not really in the position to make any demands, not now at least." Hiccup said and he could see that despite she didn't like it, Astrid agreed. "Besides, Queen Elsa could have chosen not to show her power at all. Even if I think it's a statement of power, at least she is being honest with us."

"You know Hiccup, sometimes I think you would have fitted better as some kind of book or something." Astrid said teasingly, but at Hiccup's stern look she sighed. "Fine! I will not throw a tantrum or threaten anyone to say anything, at least not in a deadly way."

Despite her very vague promise, Hiccup knew it would have to do for now.

"I promise I will try to talk to the Queen about this, it worries me as well you know." Hiccup told her, putting a hand on Astrid's shoulder, and for a second, her hard facade fell and she gave him a thankful smile before a glint of mischief was born in her eyes.

"Or we could just send Fishlegs to dig a little, after all which woman can resist a man who is so stunned by her appearance that he is ready to worship the ground at her feet." Astrid said, smiling at Fishlegs.

"For your information, I was not stunned in any way. I simply forgot what title should be used since I was not expecting the Queen to be so… queenly." Fishlegs said, his cheeks turning a little red.

"Which was why you stammered like a teenager and turned as read as a Monstrous Nightmare as soon as she looked at you." Astrid grinned and Hiccup couldn't help to smile as well.

"Well, it is not as if my dragon attacked her." Fishlegs said, trying to turn the conversation around.

"Yeah, because when Sharpshot attacked her with all of his mighty dragon affection he managed to look completely spellbound." Hiccup said with his usual sarcasm, giving Fishlegs a pointed look.

On the bed, Sharpshot looked up when he heard his name, but as nothing seemed to be happening he went back to sleep once more.

"Still, according to the custom here it was very rude to allow him to attack her the way he did." Fishlegs said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then why didn't you stop him?" Astrid retorted. "Besides the Queen didn't seem to mind so much, the way she looked at Sharpshot, she appears to be a real softy if you ask me."

"Well, I think she appears very kind and considerate. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go out and check on the dragons for a moment before we leave, I think I forgot to give Meatlug her goodbye kiss." Fishlegs said as he rose from his chair and walked out of the cottage.

"I will never understand the relationship between those two." Hiccup said as they both stared at the closed door.

"I don't even _want_ to understand the relationship between them." Astrid replied with force.

After that, Hiccup and Astrid sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts before Astrid spoke once more.

"You haven't said what you think." She said to Hiccup.

"About what?" He asked, wondering what they were talking about.

"About the Queen of course! I mean it's not like we have to ask Fishlegs, he apparently already adores her." Astrid said as she began twirling the pencil between her fingers, an unusually causal expression on her face while her eyes were fixed on the painting in front of her.

"I think she appears to be a strong and smart leader. Her people really do seem to adore her and she has a huge amount of respect from her guards. Also, I think she seems to have an honest interest in our culture which I find as a very welcome surprise and, despite what you say, picking up Sharpshot proves that she is quite brave as well." Hiccup told Astrid honestly.

"Well, I suppose I can agree with that, but she is just so emotionless and perfect and formal!" Astrid exclaimed, a frown on her face.

"Well, this is a much more formal world, we knew that when we came here." Hiccup said, smiling a little as Toothless groaned happily and stretched out his body over the floor.

"I know that. But look at the princess, at least she is showing some emotion! I am not certain we can trust the Queen at all." Astrid said.

"To be honest, I'm not sure we can either, but at least Toothless and Sharpshot seemed to accept her despite her powers." Or they had accepted her for that very reason, Hiccup thought, his mind wandering to the bewilderbeasts. They were natural alphas amongst dragons and had the strange ability to create ice instead of fire. A power now shared with said Queen.

"Yeah, we can say what we want about your weird dragon, but he is usually right." Astrid said, Toothless opening one eye as he sent her a small glare at her backhanded compliment. "You didn't say what you thought _about_ the queen though."

"I think I just did." Hiccup said carefully, still wondering where Astrid was going with her enquiry.

At his response she rolled her eyes, but didn't look up from the pencil she was still twirling between her fingers.

"I mean that I want to know if Fishlegs is the only one I'm going to have to hit in the head while we're here, or if I'm going to have to suffer as you both do puppy eyes at her." Astrid's voice was causal, but as Hiccup looked at her intensely he felt a knot forming in his stomach.

To say that his and Astrid's relationship had had a rocky start was an understatement, but since they were fifteen, he and Astrid had been best friends. They had had each other's backs and been endlessly loyal to each other, always supporting the others decisions.

Still, from the very beginning of their friendship, there had always been the hint of an underlying attraction between them. In Hiccup's case he had had a crush on Astrid for years before she even noticed him, but it wasn't until their friendship had formed that those feelings had begun to grow deeper, and soon he had noticed that, perhaps, Astrid could return them.

As the years had gone by they had grown closer and closer, and when they at nineteen had declared themselves a couple the only question anyone ever asked was why they hadn't announced it sooner.

But things had changed after his dad's death when Hiccup had taken over as Chief. As Hiccup had buried himself in work to push down his quilt over Stoick's death, he had had less time to spend with his friends. This, along with the fact that Astrid had been unable to understand why he couldn't let go of his guilt, had put a giant strain on their relationship.

Only three months after his father's death, Hiccup and Astrid gotten into a huge fight. Astrid had told Hiccup that he needed to man up and let go of his guilt, saying that he was being an idiot for not understanding he could not blame himself for Stoick's death forever when it had not been his fault. In response, Hiccup had told her that considering she could never understand any other person than herself, perhaps it wasn't a big surprise that she couldn't understand that sometime, people needed time to mourn, and that there were some things you could never forgive yourself for.

After those hurtful words, both of them had apologized to the other and they had both felt guilty for allowing their tempers to get the best them, but they had also decided to put their romantic relationship on hold for the moment.

That was now three years ago, and even though they had stayed the best of friends, trusting the other with their life, they had never tried to pick up the relationship that once could have been.

As Hiccup looked at Astrid now, he simply felt that despite all the years that had passed, he was still not ready to move beyond the simple relationship they now shared. To be honest with himself, he wasn't even sure that a new romance between them would even work out. Both of them had changed so much over the last years, and Hiccup still carried so much guilt, guilt he knew Astrid could never understand, nor accept.

And yet, Hiccup also knew that his feelings for Astrid had never truly died. Deep inside, the spark was still there. Over the years though, he had never gotten any real indication that she still felt anything for him as well, not until now.

"Well, unless you find another reason to hit me in the head, which I do not doubt you will, I can assure you that Fishlegs will be your only concern. Queen Elsa is a beauty, I would lie if I didn't say that, but unlike Fishlegs, I feel no need to turn red and stutter." Hiccup finally answered and Astrid turned to look at him again, now with a grin on her face.

"Oh, I do not doubt I will be able to find a reason!" She said as both began laughing only to stop quickly as they could hear a soft knock on the door. Sharing a questioning look with each other, they went to open it.

Outside stood a small, young boy. His hand was raised as if he had just been about to knock again and his eyes grew wide as he had to lean back his head to look at Hiccup. His face turned slightly red when the noticed Astrid and he quickly bowed to them both, his eyes now landing on Hiccup's prosthetic leg instead.

For a moment the kid just kept on staring before his eyes landed somewhere around Hiccup's middle.

"I have been sent to lead you back to the castle for the feast Chief Haddock, Lady Astrid and Master Fishelgs." He said quickly, throwing a quick look at Astrid again as his cheeks turned red once more.

"What's your name kid?" Astrid asked the young boy and he swallowed nervously.

"Fredrik, my lady." He answered.

"You know what kid, if I call you Fredrik, then you can just call me Astrid. I am not a big fan of the lady stuff you know." Astrid said, smiling down at young Fredrik who looked up at her in surprise.

"No one ever calls me by my name my lady, well, no one except Queen Elsa. All others only say "boy"." He said, looking a little nervous.

"Well, if you insist on using titles we will just have to call you Master Fredrik then." Hiccup said kindly to Fredrik, who looked up at him in awe.

"No, Fredrik will be just fine." The kid said, a huge smile spreading over his face.

"Good, then all we have to do is go and fetch Fishlegs, he is with the dragons. Have you ever met a dragon, Fredrik?" Astrid asked the boy, his eyes growing huge with excitement at the question. However, Hiccup noticed that his eyes also darted to Hiccup's metal leg.

"No I haven't, my la… Astrid!" He said, quickly correcting himself as a pleased smile spread over Astrid's face.

"Well, then I think it's about time you did!" She said, placing her hand on his shoulder as the trio went to find Fishlegs.

* * *

A warm summer breeze came in from the fjord, playing carefully with Elsa's dress. She was standing out on the balcony which was attached to her personal study and she felt herself relax a little as she breathed in the summer air.

Her study was one of the few places where Elsa knew she could find some solitude from the hectic life at court. Only Anna, Kristoff, Olof, Mrs. Tomson and Mr. Karlsson were allowed to enter the study without her permission, and out of those, only Anna had a tendency of bursting in without knocking.

In a way, it was quite sad how much time Elsa was forced to spend in here, but Arendelle was not going to run itself and her study was one of the few places she felt like she could think.

A new breeze came in, this time from the northern mountains and not from the fjord, and it brought with it a cold which Elsa felt herself welcoming more than the warmth. Breathing in the cold, she could feel her mind clearing and becoming more alert.

No matter how much Elsa loved the summer and the spring, she would never be able to deny that winter was her true element. Even when she was little, she had often chosen to stay inside the castle on the warmer days since she couldn't stand the heat. Of course, after the accident with Anna, Elsa had only ever left the castle on very, very few occasions at all, and never by choice.

As she remembered those years of isolation, and how light she had felt when she finally broke free, Elsa felt a small amount of panic rise within, knowing that her duties as Queen was now restraining her almost better than her parents had done all those years ago.

Pushing down the feeling, Elsa kept telling herself that she could never compare her life now with what had been, for no matter how little time she had for herself, she was happier now than she had ever been in her late childhood.

Taking one more deep calming breath, Elsa looked out over the landscapes around her.

Down in the harbor a ship was just about to dock and the city was full of life as her people was readying themselves for the end of the day. From the open windows below her, she could hear the familiar hum of voices coming from the quests and as she looked up towards the mountains, she could see three flying shapes over the forest.

Judging from their seizes, it could only be the Vikings' dragons. They appeared to be playing around with each other and Elsa could not help to wonder if Sharpshot was with them. Could he even play with the other dragons when he was so much smaller then them?

Then, out of nowhere, an image appeared in her mind of Sharpshot sitting in front of the other three dragons with a proud expression as they were all bowing down to the tiny green Terror.

No, that was probably a sight she would never see, Elsa thought with a smile. But still, who would ever have thought that she would see a dragon in her lifetime at all? Perhaps, nothing was impossible.

Loud laughter from downstairs suddenly broke her comfortable silence and Elsa sighed, recognizing the penetrating laughter of Lady Beltham. Lady Beltham was one of the women who was most fiercely trying to convince Elsa that her son was Elsa's best match. That Elsa didn't find her spoiled, pervert son, with a head filled only with sawdust, the least appeling seemed unable for Lady Beltham to understand.

And she probably never will if I do not marry, Elsa thought to herself as she held out her palm, conjuring up a large snowflake which she started to play around with. In reality, she was not up for a long dinner, full of polite smiles and politics. All she really wanted to do was sleep.

As she kept on playing around with the snowflake, she saw four shapes emerge from forest, the smallest one in front gesturing widely as it walked quickly.

Apparently little Fredrik had managed to fetch the three Vikings after all.

Elsa still was not sure what to think about the three Vikings. They all seemed hard as steel, Astrid without a doubt being the toughest, and it was obvious that they lived both a harder and simpler life than herself.

Still, Elsa could not deny that she was already feeling a huge amount of respect towards all of them. In Astrid's case, Elsa just knew that the woman had to be special, for no leader choose their right hand without careful consideration. That she had managed to attain the position as a woman was even more impressive, no matter how rude she seemed.

Master Fishlegs she already knew was a well-organized man, and from what she had not only learned, but also heard, he was a seeker of knowledge who could be a little nervous at times, but had a good heart within.

Then there was the Chief, Hiccup Horrendus Haddock III. He had been younger than she expected and seemed to be a very compassionate man, but he also seemed very intelligent. He was also the hardest for her to place, and Elsa felt that there was something about him that she yet was unable to see.

But then again, which nobleman or woman didn't have secrets? Chief Haddock was no nobleman, but he was a Chief, which meant that in her own culture he had the same status as a king. That he would not be good at keeping his secrets and intentions to himself was stupid to believe.

"Elsa, we need to get downstairs." Elsa jumped a little as Anna's voice brought her out of her thoughts and her snowflake dissolved into tiny ice crystals.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Anna giggled, joining Elsa on the balcony.

"I didn't hear you come in." Elsa answered, smiling at Anna who looked stunning in her green dress. Her hair had sunflowers woven into it and she was also wearing her golden tiara with emeralds.

"I am not surprised, you seemed very far away. Is there something you want to talk about?" Anna asked, her smiling face open and full of happiness.

"No, I just needed to clear my head a little." Elsa said, a comfortable silence falling between them for a moment before Elsa broke it.

"So?" She said with an unreadable expression.

"So what?" Anna asked, confused.

"So, you hit a man in the face, when you were on a political mission in a strange land?" Elsa said.

"Oh that…" Anna laughed nervously, knowing it had been stupid to believe Elsa would let this go, but as she looked away from her sister, she missed the amusement in Elsa's eyes.

"Yes that." Her sister said.

"Okay, I know it was stupid! But all the time we were there he was being clingy and really annoying! So this one night when he tried to kiss me I just…" Finally, Anna looked back at Elsa who was doing her best not to laugh. "You are not mad." Anna said in disbelief.

"I was a little shocked at first, and I really think you could have handled it differently, but considering the circumstances I must admit I probably would have done the same thing. Besides, the Vikings didn't seem to mind." Elsa said with a chuckle.

"You're evil!" Anna answered with a laugh as she nudged her sister in the side with her elbow.

"And now you are being hostile once more, were you raised in a barn or something?" Elsa laughed, avoiding Anna's light punch in her direction. "But honestly, you look beautiful tonight Anna." Elsa said as Anna's smile grew warmer.

"Not as beautiful as you though." She answered.

"I thought it was called beautifuller?" Elsa said teasingly, Anna rolling her eyes as she faked an annoyed expression.

"Right, how could I ever forget?"

"THAT is the question of the day, isn't it? Now, I think we have to join our guests. Shall we?" Elsa said, holding her arm out to Anna who took it with a huge smile, the two sisters leaving Elsa's study behind as they walked downstairs, together.

* * *

When the three Vikings entered the castle, all they could do was stare at the lavish decorations. Statues, paintings and hundreds of candles were burning to keep the castle lit. It didn't take long for little Fredrik to realize that his company was distracted by the very different interior and he found their slightly stunned faces a little funny.

Still, he didn't dare to say anything and allowed them to take in the castle in silence as he led them to a giant room where all of the guests had gathered before the dinner.

"I'm not allowed to go past the doors, but if you need anything, just ask the servants and they will help you." He said to the Vikings who all looked at him with questioning eyes when he stopped outside the doors.

"I see. Thank you for your help Fredrik, we hope to see you again soon." Chief Haddock said, Astrid giving him a wink while Fishlegs ruffled his hair on their way into the room.

When the three entered, for a moment all they could do was stare a little in wonder at the scene in front of them.

"Welcome to the world of dolls." Astrid finally muttered next to Hiccup, and he couldn't have said it better himself.

While both men and women dressed up to formal occasions on Berk, it was nothing like the spectacle before them. The women were wearing huge dresses in different pastel colors. On top of this, they were also wearing different jewels or diamonds. Most of them also wore white cloves that covered their hands and everyone had their hair up in different hairdos, some more lavish than others.

The men on the other hand were not much better, though they were a huge contrast to the women's colorful display. They all wore identical strange black jackets with white wests underneath and black pants. Around their necks, a white piece of cloth had been tied into a strange pattern. Some of the men also wore round gold medals on their jackets, or a cloth in the shape of a line which went over their right shoulder and under their left arm.

When the Vikings entered, they noticed how the room seemed to stop for a moment as all of the guests stopped talking before they began to whisper amongst each other. One woman sent Astrid a degrading look, which Astrid answered with a glare that caused the woman to take a step back in fright.

"They look like someone just plucked them out of a child's imagination." Fishlegs said with disbelief.

"More like out of a nightmare." Astrid scoffed as the Vikings noted a couple that was making their way through the crowed, both with warm smiles on their faces.

The woman was very petite and dressed in, to the Vikings surprise, a very simple blue dress. Her green eyes were shining with excitement and she was the only woman in the room with hair so short that it only went to her jaw. As she walked up to them, she almost seemed to be bouncing.

The man on the other hand was much calmer than the woman and of ordinary height. He also had brown hair, longer than most of the other men in the room, and small stubble on his jaw. He was extremely handsome and his smile showed perfect white teeth.

"You must be Chief Haddock, Astrid and Master Fishlegs! I am Rapunzel, Elsa's and Anna's cousin, and this is my husband Eugene." The woman, Rapunzel, said when the couple had reached the Vikings. She took a hold on her husband's arm as she spoke and he smiled down warmly at her before turning to the Vikings with a mischievous look in his brown eyes.

"We thought we could save you a little from the stares of the mob." Eugene said, everyone knowing that he was referring to the fact that most of the other guests now were whispering even more amongst themselves.

"We really don't care what they think." Astrid answered the man, looking at him with caution, trying to figure out if he was trying to trick them.

"Then you are wiser than any other person in this room I can tell you. But I do hope you will not drive us away Astrid, I was a thief before I married a princess, and despite her attempts to turn me around, I must admit that my less honorable side wants nothing more than to cause as much gossip as anyone possibly could." Eugene answered her with a wink.

At first, Hiccup thought Astrid would say something angrily, but to his amusement she blinked once, almost as if she had to collect her thoughts, before a smirk spread over her face.

"You know, I think we are going to get along pretty well, Eugene." She said as Rapunzel smiled widely.

"Looks like you have finally found a group of people who you will get along with then dear." She said to her husband who sent her a fake angry look. The love between the couple was almost radiating from them, and still, it was in a way that didn't become too much.

"You hurt my fragile heart." Eugene said, placing his free hand over his heart as he pouted slightly.

"You have trouble getting along with people?" Fishlegs asked him, but it was Rapunzel who answered instead.

"Eugene has a tendency of being a bit to honest for most nobles and along his old thieving friends he has not the best reputation. In fact, I get along better with the thugs than he does." She said with a smug smile as Hiccup tried to understand how this small woman, who apparently was also a princess, could move in those circles.

Apparently she was tougher than she looked.

"Oh come on! We have worked it out! I even invited them to our wedding!" Eugene exclaimed as Rapunzel simply laughed.

"Yes, but only after I forced you." She said before she turned to the now smiling Vikings once more. "So how is your impression of Arendelle so far?"

Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs all shared a look during which the latters made it clear that they wanted Hiccup to take this one.

"It's very beautiful and very different from Berk." He said simply since it was the most accurate description.

"A political answer, Elsa would have loved that, but still I am happy to hear your first impression has been good." Rapunzel said just as the door farthest into the room opened and all the guests started to move in that direction.

"They are opening the doors into the dining hall, just follow us and we will show you right." Rapunzel said, the three Vikings following the couple who seemed to be their new allies in this sea of nobles.

Just as they were about to pass through the doors though, a man dressed as most of the gentlemen stepped forward and stopped them with a smile on his face. His hair was graying on the sides and he appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties.

"Ah, you sir must be Chief Hiccup Haddock III of Berk, I am the butler of Queen Elsa and I am very happy to welcome you to Arendelle." The man said with a bow to them all and as he looked at them, it was with kind eyes that held no judgment, making him the third person that night not to stare at them as if they were outcasts. The other two being Rapunzel and Eugene.

"And this I presume must be lady Astrid of Berk and lord Fishlegs of Berk." The man said, giving each of them a small bow as well. Hiccup could see that Astrid was dying to tell the kind man off, but throwing a look at Hiccup she simply crossed her arms over her chest and said nothing.

"Mr. Karlsson, Astrid here isn't someone who enjoy titles very much, so I think just using her name would be better. After all we are all too formal around here all of the time anyway, aren't we?" Eugene said, throwing his arm around the other man who looked highly irritated and removed Eugene's arm with all the dignity he could.

Looking at the pair, Hiccup got the feeling that this happened very often.

"I think the lady can speak for herself if she wishes to." Mr. Karlsson said, his tone very dry as Eugene simply grinned at him.

"Actually, I prefer just Astrid." The person in question said, sending Hiccup a happy smile as he smiled back at her.

"Hmm… then of course will I follow that wish, Astrid." Mr. Karlsson said, sending her a kind smile which was very unlike the stern one he had sent Eugene. "Now, I must just say that it is a great honor for Vikings to grace these lands. If you ask me, it has been for too long since anyone relied up anything around here." The last part he said so low only that only the Vikings and the royal couple could hear.

"But now I will show you to your seats, if you would please just follow me." Mr. Karlsson said before leading them into the room which was even more striking than the last one. Flowers decorated all of the pillars, and four long tables took up the huge hall. On these lay white linin cloths, on which there were porcelain plates, silver cutlery and crystal glasses.

"Here are your places for the night." Mr. Karlsson said as they reached the end of one of the two middle tables. "You will have the company of Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene all night. Let me also tell you that her majesty the Queen will be sitting just a few seats away from you, so these are some of the most valued places in the whole room. Should you need anything during the night, just ask one of the servants for me."

With these words, Mr. Karlsson gave one final bow before he walked away.

Hiccup, as it turned out, was seated next to Rapunzel, while Fishlegs and Astrid were seated on the opposite side of the table, Eugene sitting on Astrid's left.

"What did he mean when he said that these are some of the most valued places?" Astrid asked as the room continued to fill up.

"I have already told you that on the way here Astrid, did you not listen?" Fishlegs asked, sounding a little offended.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Astrid replied with a pointed look that caused Fishlegs to send her a sour one in return before explaining once more.

"As I _have_ told you, the closer you sit to the Queen, the more value you are shown to have to kingdom and the royal family. So by placing us close to her own seat, Queen Elsa is showing the rest of the guests that she finds high value in the connections between Arendelle and Berk." Fishlegs said, as Rapunzel nodded her head at his words.

"That's right. Elsa is making a real statement, but she is also showing that see values you as Berkians too. In fact, by doing this, she is making your stay here so much easier. Most of the people in here will do their best to get on your good side now." She filled in just as the last couple entered the hall.

Looking around again, Hiccup indeed noticed how many of the other guests now looked at them with a curiousness which hadn't been there before.

At the sound of a pole hitting the ground three times, the lively chatter in the room quickly died out as all of the guests turned towards the doors through which they had just entered. A young man was standing next to them with said pole in his hand. Noticing that that he had the full attention of the room, he cleared his throat loudly before he began speaking.

"Presenting, her Royal Highness Princess Anna of Arendelle, duchess of the southern sea and her fiancée, Kristoff Borgman, Ice Master and spokesman of the ancient mountain trolls." The man announced loudly, causing all of the Vikings to share a surprised look at the mention of trolls.

Rapunzel, noticing their reaction, sent Hiccup a curious look.

"Later." He whispered to her and she nodded her head before they both turned their attention back to couple who was walking into the room arm in arm.

Both Princess Anna and Kristoff were wearing smiles on their faces, and the guests they passed either bowed or curtsied to them. When they finally reached their places at the end of their table, which was the one next in line to the one where the Vikings were seated, Princess Anna met Hiccup's eyes over the sea of people and she waved happily to him before she turning her attention back to the announcer.

The man once more hit his pole in the ground three times before he spoke.

"Presenting, her Royal Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Duchess of the northern mountains and the northwest sea, ruler of ice and snow and Sovereign of the Royal family order of King Agnarr I."

As Elsa walked into the room it fell into complete silence as most of the guests looked at her with awed expressions. When it came to the younger male nobles however, most wore either hungry or dazed expressions on their faces, Fishlegs joining in on the latter.

And as Hiccup took in the appearance of Queen Elsa, he felt that he couldn't really blame anyone for their reactions, for she was truly a sight to behold.

As she walked through the room she, just like earlier that day, almost seemed to float over the ground. Her dress, which was of a fairly simple design, followed her every moment while the hundreds of tiny diamonds, which had been swoon into the skirt, glittered in the candlelight. As she moved they shifted into different colors of blue, making it look as if the dress had a life of its own.

Her blond hair, which was almost white, was up in a bun at the back of her head and to Hiccup's surprise, he could see that frozen snowflakes was sprinkled in it to reflected the light. A tiara made out of white gold, with three huge blue sapphires, rested on top of her head, while her pale skin got a slightly warmer tone from candles.

Overall she was the perfect picture of how anyone could ever imagine a Queen.

But as he looked at her, Hiccup also noticed that the warm smile on her face didn't reach her eyes. Instead her ice blue eyes were as unreadable and calculating as always. To his slight discomfort, Hiccup realized that the Queen he had met earlier that afternoon was nothing like the one standing before him now.

This was the Snow Queen in her full glory.

So despite her beauty, Hiccup did not in any way feel enchanted by the Queen like so many others appeared to be, because for him, this was a perfect picture which was impossible to reach by any mortal on this earth, and there was nothing in that he found enchanting at all.

Reaching the end of the same table where he was seated, Queen Elsa made a hand notion for everyone to sit down. For once thankful that he had listened to Fishlegs during one of his rants, at least a little, Hiccup drew out the chair for Rapunzel so she could sit down, feeling a bit of smug when he saw the stunned expressions on some the other guests closest to them.

Even Astrid said nothing as Eugene to drew out her chair. Instead she simply sat down and sent both him and the man on her other side a dazzling smile. Meeting her eyes over the table though, Hiccup could see the mischief in her eyes, making him wonder just what she and the former thief had been discussing.

Especially considering that the man in question was wearing a similar expression.

When everyone was seated, Queen Elsa was the only one still standing as she looked out over the sea of guests with a smile on her face.

"Friends, family and valued guests, I wish to welcome each and every one of you to Arendelle! It is a great joy that you all have wanted to take part in our celebrations to honor the union of my beloved sister, Princess Anna and her man of choice, Kristoff Borgman. Tomorrow, they will join hands as they enter into holy matrimony, but for now let us enjoy the food, wine and the very fine company that have gathered here tonight for this lovely event."

With these words Queen Elsa picked up her wineglass from the table as all of the guests did the same and rose to their feet, the Vikings mimicking their movements.

"And now, a toast, for the strengthening of strong bonds." Queen Elsa said and everyone repeated her before taking a small sip of wine, this time waiting to sit down until Princess Anna and Queen Elsa had taken their seats first.

When everyone was seated, a lively chatter began to spread all over the room once more as dozens of servants rushed out from two hidden doors in the back of the room. They were all carrying huge trays of food and first served the Queen and the Princess before continuing down the tables, all in perfect sync.

"So, trolls?" Rapunzel asked finally Hiccup who smiled at her.

"Ah yes, it's just that my old mentor has a huge fascination for trolls. He has this idea that as soon something goes wrong, it is the trolls that are tricking him. He also thinks that they have a special love for left socks." Hiccup said, doing his best not to laugh at Rapunzel's dumfound expression.

"Why left socks?"

"I have no idea, to be honest I don't even think Gobber knows." Hiccup answered as both of them laughed.

"So you don't have trolls up in the high north then?" Rapunzel asked with genuine interest.

"I have never seen any, though I suppose there is a possibility. After all we get our names to scare them off. The more terrifying or strange the name is the better it's said to keep the trolls away when you're a child." Hiccup said, shrugging his shoulders as Rapunzel grinned at him.

"And here I thought I would be the interesting one when I told you about my small chameleon named Pascal." She said, and this time, it was Hiccup who looked confused.

"Chameleon?" He asked.

"It is a small reptile that can change color." Rapunzel told him.

"A reptile? You know what Princess; I think finding something to talk about won't be a problem. Have you ever heard of dragons?" Hiccup grinned as the couple kept on talking throughout the evening.

At the far end of the table, Queen Elsa was in deep conversation with the crown prince of Sweden and Sir Anckarloo, the three discussing the early stages of a possible marriage between the prince and her trusted advisor's eldest daughter.

This, however, didn't keep her from keeping a close eye on the three Vikings during the night, feeling very happy when she saw that they were all enjoying themselves. At one point, she locked eyes with Chief Haddock. His green eyes seemed to hold a small flame as they reflected the candlelight and for a moment they simply stared at each other. Then Rapunzel said something which brought his attention back to her and Elsa saw how a smile spread over his face at whatever her cousin was saying.

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Elsa then turned her attention back to her own company, happy that her careful planning had paid off just as she had intended it to.

* * *

 **Am I the only one who can really picture Astrid and Eugene being a little like Fred and George Weasley from the HP-world had they lived today? They just seem like such a good fit to me haha!  
**

 **Anyway, I am working in the next chapter and you are finally about to see Elsa and Hiccup interacting with each other; alone! Well, some dragons might be present but they will at least be the only humans. So keep on sending in your reviews and, maybe, I will update in less than a week. No promises though, after all, I have to study for uni as well!**

Until next time!  
/Lysistrate


	7. Chapter 7

**Who said that I might update before the weekend? Me? I have no memory of it! I know, I know, I am hopeless, but a new chapter is here and I must thank you all for all the wonderful reviews I received! They make me so happy and I love to hear your thoughts, they really do make me work faster believe it or not!**

 **Also keep your eyes open, there are two "cameos" in this chapter, one from a certain Brave-movie and one from a movie that contains a mermaid with red hair, can you find them both?**

 **Laidyx:** They would be unstoppable haha! There are some conflicts coming up with the maids, some will be of a more serious matter (this chap.) others will be more fun, I hope haha!

 **Creeves59:** Thank you for your review and your kind words! I promise I will finish this story, it's actually completely outlined, it's just a lot of editing to be done ;)

 **Noctus Fury:** Thank you for your awesome review! First of all, I agree that Hiccup keeping his helmet on wouldn't been the best for their relationship, it would have been a bit to mysterious indeed! ;D

When it comes to Astrid, I can understand how you are feeling! How I see it though, Astrid is a new land and so out of her element, meaning that no matter how strong she is, I think she really would have felt the need to prove herself, making her regress to the person she was early on in the series when she felt that she had to do the same. She will change as the story goes on, she just needs some time to become more comfortable. Also you are completely right about Hiccup and Astrid being bf/gf, they would have only courted, that was a misstake on my part that slipped through xD

Ahh yes Elsa, she really is living in denial isn't she? Hiccup will simply have to change her mind, or maybe her sister and Rapunzel can make her see things a little clearer? Who knows?

* * *

7.

"You know; Chief Hiccup really is something special." Rapunzel said from her place on Anna's bed where she sat with her feet dangling in the air, watching her youngest cousin get her hair styled for her wedding

"That's what I have said! But Elsa is as stubborn as a mule and simply refuses to agree with us!" Anna exclaimed as Elsa, who was standing next to Anna's lady's maid to help, sent her sister an amused look.

"And _I_ have said that that's because I have not formed a solid opinion on him yet, and don't tell me you have started to call him by his first name as well Rapunzel?" Elsa said, directing the last part to her cousin who simply smiled at her.

"As soon as you have spent five minutes with the man outside of your role as the perfect Queen, you will to Elsa. Besides, he hates it when people are too formal with him you know, he told me that last night, so I'm really just showing consideration." Rapunzel answered as Elsa shook her head.

"He told me the same on Berk, and I have really tried to explain to my sister that the Vikings never address each other with anything _except_ their names. In fact, it was only Chief Hiccup they at times addressed as ony Chief, not saying his name at all." Anna said.

"Then they do use titles, a perfect reason to stay to etiquette here as well." Elsa said as Anna rolled her eyes.

"Come on Elsa, it's not wrong to call the man by his first name, we are still saying Chief in front of it." Rapunzel said and Anna nodded her head.

"Exactly, I mean everyone calls you Queen Elsa all the time." She added.

"That's a bad argument and you know it. Chief Haddock may be the leader of Berk but he is from a different culture, he has a last name, we don't. Therefore, of course the people have to refer to our given names." Elsa said in a voice which made Anna and Rapunzel exchange tired looks in the mirror. "Besides I cannot go around calling a man, a Chief no less, that I have just met by his first name! It would arouse too much gossip." Elsa added.

"But I call him by his first name and no one seems to care about that." Anna said.

"Yes, but you are getting married and everyone knows you are far too friendly for your own good." Elsa said with a gentle tug on Anna's hair as her younger sister stuck out her tongue at Elsa, before her eyes locked on her lady's maid in the mirror.

"What do you think of the Chief, Frida?" Anna suddenly asked her maid who looked startled at being addressed, a pink blush spreading over her cheeks. Elsa also noted how her hands began to fumble with Anna's hair.

"The Chief seems very kind, my lady." Frida said with a small voice, her eyes glued to Anna's hair.

"And what does the other maids say on the subject?" As Frida's blush grew, Anna giggled. "Come on, I know you must have talked about him!"

"They seem to agree with my opinion and that of yours, princess."

"I knew it! You have talked about him!" Anna squealed as Rapunzel smiled widely. "So, what do you think about how he looks?" At her question, Elsa had finally had enough with the nonsense and decided to interfere.

"Anna stop it! Everyone has the right of a personal life." She said in with a scolding voice, Frida looking very happy that the Queen had intervened.

"What?! I am just asking for their opinion on a very, very important subject!" Anna said, pouting.

"Aren't you about to get married in a few hours?" Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow as Rapunzel scoffed from her place on the bed.

"It's not like Anna is talking about running away with him, and I must say I am quite curious myself." Rapunzel said as she rose from the bed and pulled a chair with her so that she could sit down opposite of Anna, Elsa and Frida.

"Chief Hiccup is very handsome isn't he?" Rapunzel said with a smile to Frida, the girl once more blushing a little, but a dreamy smile spreading over her face as well. At the continuation of the subject, Elsa sighed tiredly.

"Well, he has caused quite the stir downstairs and I heard that he was one of the biggest topics of discussion by the female guests last night." Frida answered with a smile.

"Oh didn't I tell you he would create a stir!" Anna squealed before she seemed to remember something. "Wait! How is Eugene taking the competition?"

At her question Rapunzel laughed.

"Surprisingly well actually. He pouted for a while this morning when we met two maids in the corridor and they simply gave him a glance before they walked on whispering. But it is good for him not to draw all of the attention if you ask me." She said.

"I cannot believe we are still discussing this." Elsa muttered as Anna and Rapunzel simply smiled at her.

"Relax a little! We are just evaluating your guest, isn't that what you wanted us to do?" Rapunzel said with a grin.

"Yes, but this is not what I meant and you know it! Besides, now I am starting to worry that one of the maids will try to pursue him. A child out of wedlock would put quite the strain on our relationship." Elsa said as Rapunzel sent her a stern look.

"I spent the entire evening with Chief Hiccup last night and I can tell you Elsa, he may not have been raised as a nobleman, but that man is both more intelligent, compassionate and respectful towards women than any of those noble boys who prance around as if they own the world. Thinking he would do anything like that, it is not fair to his character."

"I agree." Anna nodded, a serious expression on her face.

"Me too." Frida blurted out, looking terrified as she noticed how the two princesses and her queen now looked at her sharply.

"And why would you say that Frida?" Elsa asked with a sharp voice.

"Well… uhm… one of the housemaids in my corridor she…." Frida stopped talking which only caused Elsa to look at her sternly.

"Go on." She said.

"Well… she… she… She told my roommate how she managed to sneak out when Chief Haddock and his friends left the party last night and she… uhm… she said that she _talked_ to the Chief and that he declined her."

"Dear God." Elsa said, closing her eyes as she tried to keep her temper under control. That one of her own servants had offered… Elsa had never felt more embarrassed in her whole life. After all, what a servant did reflected directly on their employees and this... this was not good.

Not that it was unusual for nobles to take servants as lovers, but it was a very different thing entirely for a woman to offer herself to take on that role.

"I suppose this simply means I will have to talk to Mrs. Tomson again. Do you know who the maid is Frida?" Elsa asked when she finally had gotten her emotions under control, not wanting to take out her anger on poor Frida.

"I am sorry, but no your majesty, I do not." Frida said, staring at her shoes.

"Very well, if you find out who it was I want you to tell me or Mrs. Tomson. Also. you need not to worry Frida, everything you have spoken shall stay here. I will not tell anyone what you've told me. I highly praise your honesty." Elsa said, the honesty in her own voice causing a smile to spread on Frida's face.

"Thank you, your majesty. Uhm… I might need help from your lady's maid Brigitte, can I go and get her, your majesty?"

"Of course Frida." Elsa said, for she could tell that the girl probably needed some space, and as Frida rushed out of the door, Elsa knew that she had been right.

"Too bad she doesn't know who the maid is." Anna said, looking after Frida as she disappeared.

"It is, but honestly, I am just happy to know what is going on. But what will Chief Haddock think being assaulted his first night here?" Elsa said, letting go of Anna's hair as she made a stool of ice appear so she could sit down.

As she was trying to figure out how she could do damage repair, she suddenly became very aware of the fact that Rapunzel was studying her closely.

"What?" Elsa finally said.

"You know, you never told us what you think of Chief Hiccup?" Her cousin said with glittering eyes, Anna sitting up straighter in her chair at her words.

"Hey that's right! You haven't told us!" Anna said.

"Yes I have, I have already told you that I have not formed a good opinion on him yet." Elsa answered with a sigh, ignoring both Rapunzel's and Anna's skeptical looks.

"That is just political mumbojumbo and we all know it! Besides, you do not need to spend an eternity with a man to decide if he is attractive or not." Rapunzel said, smiling as Elsa's eyes snapped to hers with a slightly irritated look.

"Well, as the two of you seem to have missed, what a man appear to be is not a true picture of his character." Elsa simply said, trying to end the conversation.

At this Anna and Rapunzel simply shared a look before both turned back to Elsa who was keeping her face masterfully empty of any emotion.

"Are you really saying that to Rapunzel who's closest friends are bunch of thugs who, in reality, are just a bunch of really big softies? And to me who almost married a very handsome prince who happened to be a psychopath and wanted to murder us both?" Anna said with a raised eyebrow.

To their glee, Rapunzel and Anna saw how Elsa tried to think of a reply that would get her out of the situation, a frustrated expression creeping over her face when she realized she was not going to win this one.

"Fine!" She finally exclaimed. "Yes, I think Chief Haddock appears to be an interesting and intelligent young man, his training of dragons showing this strongly in my opinion."

"And?" Anna said in a sing-song voice as Elsa sent her a glare.

"And, I can understand that he is found to be very agreeable." Elsa said causally as both Anna and Rapunzel squealed loudly.

"Did you hear what I just heard?" Anna said to Rapunzel.

"I think she just said that he is very agreeable." Rapunzel answered with a huge smile.

"I did not say that." Elsa said fiercely but the other two weren't listing.

"You know that translates to that she thinks he looks good." Anna said.

"It does not translate…"

"Oh Anna dear, it translates to that she thinks he looks dashing." Rapunzel said with a smug smile in Elsa's direction, highly amused when she saw the tired look on her cousin's face.

"Dashing? I agree and I never thought I would hear it. Do you remember when she met the really handsome black-haired Danish prince with the heavenly blue eyes and what she said when she saw him?" Anna said.

"Was it not that he was nothing more than average? Or was it that she could not see what the fuss was all about?" Rapunzel answered as they both started giggling, Elsa now simply looking at the two with a frustrated expression.

"No, that last one was when she met the prince from Scotland, you know with the kilt, the red hair and the two identical twins!" Anna said.

"Yes that's…. AHHH!" Both women flew up from their chairs as they were suddenly hit by two rather large snowballs which came flying through the air.

"You want to know what I think? I think both of you need to cool down a bit!" Elsa said as she bent down to pick up more snow from the pile she had created next to her.

Anna and Rapunzel shared a hasty look with each other before running as fast as they could towards Elsa, both reaching for the pile of snow next to her. Soon, laughter began to echo through the castle along with screams and squeals. The battle went on for quite a while and it didn't stop until Mr. Karlsson, who wondered what was going on, opened the door to Princess Anna's room, and was hit with a snowball right in the face.

* * *

Hiccup had just come back from his morning flight with Toothless when Astrid and Fishlegs had told him that they were going into town to explore, taking Sharpshot with them since the small dragon had made it clear he refused to stay behind.

Of course they had asked Hiccup if he had wanted to come along, but at the prospect of spending some time alone for the first time in weeks, Hiccup had declined.

Now, Hiccup was going through his equipment for the first time in far too long. It was something that had been in the back of his mind for he last couple of weeks, but he had been forced to ignore it since he simply hadn't had the time. Therefore, it was a relief to finally be able to look it over.

As he worked, he noticed that a few pieces would need to be replaced while others only would need a simple fix up. The only problem was that for some of the repairs he would need a blacksmith, and he didn't know where the one in Arendelle was located. However, he could probably just ask young Fredrik when the lad returned to lead them to the wedding later that day.

While he was working, Hiccup fell into the very peaceful state where his mind could wander free since his body knew exactly what to do, having done the same movements countless of times in the past. Next to him, Toothless was laying on the ground resting, one ear on alert so he could pick up any sounds out of the ordinary, but nothing was heard around them except for the wind and the singing birds.

Finally picking up Toothless' saddle, Hiccup felt guilty as he took in the neglected leather.

"I have really put this up for far too long this time, haven't I bud?" Hiccup asked his friend as Toothless opened one eye and looked at him, grumbling his agreement before seemingly going back to sleep once more.

"Glad to hear you are not mad at me at least." Hiccup chuckled as he began polishing the leather that had become harsh and stiff from seawater, rain and snow. It didn't take long though until the leather started to become smooth and move with ease under Hiccup's skillful hands.

It hurt Hiccup that he no longer simply didn't have the time to take care of his best friend's equipment as he once had, instead he often had to leave it to Gobber to take of. Before he had become Chief however, Hiccup had always insisted on caring for all of Toothless' things himself, but it had been forced to change as his workload only seemed to grow.

It was not that Hiccup didn't enjoy seeing his people prosper under his rule, in fact it gave him great satisfaction and happiness, and it made him think that his dad would have been very proud with him. Still, this didn't change the fact that Hiccup often wished that he could just jump up on Toothless and go discover the world as he had done in his teens.

When Hiccup had taken over as Chief a few years back, his mother had told him that he had the soul of a dragon, but the heart of a Chief. As the years had passed, Hiccup had come to wonder if even his mother understood how true that statement had turned out to be.

In his heart, Hiccup was more than happy to dedicate his life to his people, to see them find happiness and trust in his leadership. It warmed him that they asked him for advice and showed him their unwavering loyalty even in the hardest situations.

But his soul, his soul was not content.

Only when he was high in the sky, free from the responsibilities that bound him to Berk, did Hiccup feel truly alive! When he was with Toothless and the other dragons, he was free and strong with the world ready for him to explore and learn from. With the dragons, he was never an outcast or different, and he understood them on such a deep level that he often felt he understood them better than his own people.

So it was far too often Hiccup wished he could just fly away and leave behind the responsibility he had never truly felt that he was ready to take over. But his heart never allowed him to do this, always weighing him down until he knew that his place truly was with his people, despite the fact that he still sometimes felt like an outcast among the other Vikings.

In other words, what was his strongest asset, what had brought his people and the dragons together, was also slowly tearing him apart as his heart and soul wished to go in different directions, neither one happy nor satisfied no matter what he did.

Deep in his thoughts, Hiccup unconsciously registered that Toothless suddenly noticed something. Hiccup noted how his dragon opened his eyes and looked towards the small road that led into town, but thinking it was just Astrid and Fishlegs returning from town, Hiccup didn't even look up. Instead he just picked up the saddle that had come to rest in his lap and continued working with it.

It was only when he noticed that Toothless didn't lay back down that Hiccup looked up and saw that it wasn't his friends who were approaching; It was Queen Elsa.

She was walking up the small road alone, except for a lone guard who was accompanying her. It appeared to be the man that Hiccup had understood to be the captain the day before, but it was hard to tell from a distance since they all dressed the same.

Staying seated, appearing as if he had not yet seen them, Hiccup took a moment to take in the Queen's appearance, which was very different from the day before. Her thick hair was in a simple braid down her back and she was wearing a very simple light blue gown. Overall she looked much more approachable than he had ever seen her before, had it not been for her usual unreadable expression.

As the pair neared him, Hiccup rose from his spot next to Toothless, gesturing for his dragon to stay put, and picked up an old rag, which had once been a shirt, as he started to dry off his hands. He had to admit that he was very curios to what had caused the Queen to leave the castle on her sisters wedding day to come here. After all, from what he had seen the night before, weddings were just as big a spectacle here as they were on Berk.

"Good morning Chief Haddock, Toothless. I hope all is well with you both." Queen Elsa greeted them both when she reached them, her captain staying a few steps behind her.

"Good morning Queen Elsa, it is, though I must say I am a little surprised to see you here considering the wedding is just a few hours away." Hiccup said, seeing no reason to beat around the bush.

To his surprise however, his words caused a very, very faint blush to appear on the Queen's cheeks along with a small sheepish look in her eyes. But just as fast as it appeared, it was once again gone, making him a little uncertain if it had been there at all.

"As it turns out it's sometimes best to give your younger sister some room on her wedding day." The Queen replied to him with a slightly distressed face that caused Hiccup to chuckle.

"Considering what I have seen on Berk, that seems to be the harsh truth about all brides on their wedding day." He said, still smiling.

"After what I have heard today, I do not doubt that." Queen said with a small smile of her own before she turned serious once more. "But the reason I came here is a very different one, one I felt needed to be addressed immediately. I heard from one of my servants that one of the maids approached you and your friends last night."

At her words, Hiccup tensed up, his defenses rising immediately as he tried to read if there was any anger coming from the woman in front of him, but to his frustration she remained as unreadable as ever.

It was not that Hiccup didn't know what the Queen was referring to, in fact he very well remembered the dark haired maid who had approached him the night before when he, Astrid and Fishlegs had left the party. She had asked him to help with a heavy bucket of water and not thinking much of it, Hiccup had not hesitated to give her a hand. When the girl later had thanked him though, she had placed her hands on his shoulders and suggested that was he in need of company, she was more than willing to help him feel less lonely.

At first Hiccup had been too stunned to say anything, for he had not expected any woman here to approach him in that way, but as soon as he had gotten over his slight surprise, he had firmly dismissed her advances and left. While some men would never have turned down the opportunity, Hiccup felt that he could never live with himself should he ever take a lover.

First of all, he didn't think it was morally correct, but second of all, he knew what consequences could follow. After all, he had seen, and found himself, far too many babies that had been placed to the wolves simply because they weren't wanted, but he had also seen far too many women fall into disgrace for one bad decision.

However, this didn't mean that Hiccup was a stranger to the fact that women who were turned down, sometimes wanted revenge on the man that had hurt her pride. On Berk, this usually meant that the man in question, if he was lucky, was hit with a maze in the head. If he was unlucky… well, let's just say Hiccup was very happy it had never happened to him.

That a woman would hit him in the head with a maze in Arendelle though seemed highly unlikely. Instead it seemed more likely the maid would have told the Queen a false story, which pretty much would explain why she was here right now.

Uncertain how to best handle the situation, Hiccup decided that honesty was his best option.

"That is right, one of them did." He therefore said, carefully watching Queen Elsa to see how she would take the news and to his surprise her expression didn't turn angry, it turned very apologetic.

"Well, I would lie if I told you that was the answer I wanted." She sighed. "It appears then that I owe you an apology Chief Haddock. Here, what a servant does is directly reflected on their employer, for it is my duty to keep them in cheek. That my maid approached you in the manner which she did is both an insult to your character and a great fault in her own. Still I hope that you can accept my apology Chief Haddock, for I would be very sad if this would put a strain on our future relations."

Despite the grave expression on her face, there was an honesty in Queen Elsa's eyes which shone strongly in her eyes and Hiccup found himself to trust every word she had said, feeling that she indeed was truly apologetic for what had happened.

Still he felt that it felt a little strange that Queen Elsa would fear that he would despise _her_ for something her maid had done… it had never even crossed his mind. Then again, if anyone did anything on Berk, they always took the consequences themselves. This was a different world; something Hiccup once again was suddenly reminded of.

"I accept your apology Queen Elsa." Hiccup said, a little surprised when Queen Elsa relaxed at his words. Had she really thought he would hold a grudge towards her?

"I am happy that you are so forgiving Chief Haddock." She said, and Hiccup couldn't help to smile slightly at her.

"Honestly, your apology was never needed, I was not offended last night and had I been, it would have been with your maid and not with you Queen Elsa. Besides, this is not the first time this have happened."

At his words, the Queen rose a questioning eyebrow at him as she looked at him strangely. At her look, Hiccup realized how wrongly what he had just said could be interpreted and knew he had to explain himself, not wanting her to get the wrong impression.

"I mean; it has not happened here before… not that I would have been offended then either… I mean it happens sometimes… I mean on Berk women are not so… why am I still even talking?" He finally said and buried his head in his hands, realizing that, in his embarrassment, he was only making matters worse.

Behind him, Toothless rolled his eyes at his rider, wondering how his companion still could get himself into these strange situations after all these years. Seeing the ice-woman's reaction though, Toothless knew he would not need to interfere. This time.

Not knowing what his dragon was thinking, Hiccup took a deep breath before he dropped his hands from his face and looked up at Queen Elsa, expecting to see a stern expression on her face. Instead she had a smile on her face, and at his embarrassed face, she laughed slightly. It was a beautiful pearling sound unlike anything he had ever heard before, and Hiccup found himself grinning back at her.

"As I said, I'm still happy you accept my apology Chief Haddock, and no worries, I think I understand what you mean." She chuckled as she looked at him with mirth shining from her ice blue eyes.

"Well, it's good then that at least one of us does." He said dryly, his words earing him a new warm and genuine smile and he noticed how the perfect royal picture, which had always made the Queen seem so unapproachable, had fallen away a little bit, showing a little bit of the person underneath.

"It is." Queen Elsa said to him as her eyes landed on the saddle still laying on the ground, a curious expression entering her eyes. "May I?" She asked, gesturing to the saddle.

"Sure." Hiccup told her and the Queen bent down. She studied the saddle carefully, her hands running over the now smooth leather that was still greasy and left a few stains on her fingers, but she didn't seem to mind as she inspected the saddle with a fascinated expression.

"This is exquisite work." She finally said, looking at the threads that held the different parts of the saddle together.

"Thank you." Hiccup said, a little amused when her eyes snapped to his with, filled with disbelief.

"You made this?" She asked, looking a little embarrassed when she realized the question could be interpreted as rude. "I do not mean to insinuate that you haven't or aren't capable, it's just not what I would have expected." She said as she rose from the ground, thankfully accepting the rag Hiccup still had in his hands when he offered it to her.

"On Berk, being Chief does give you a different position, but you are still part of the everyday life and it's the same for anyone in his family. Being the Chief's son, I had to to do my part like everyone else in our tribe and since I was very young I worked in the blacksmith to learn as much about the craft as I could." He explained, Queen Elsa now looking at him with interest.

"It must be very hard work I assume, even for a Viking. Did you enjoy your time there?" She asked as she returned the rag to him, Hiccup feeling relief that she hadn't asked _why_ he had been placed in the blacksmith.

"I loved it and I still work there occasionally when there is time." He answered truthfully, for helping Gobber was just another thing which he rarely had the time to do anymore.

"I see. I must say that you keep on surprising and impressing me Chief Haddock; you appear to be more skilled than any of our finest craftsmen." Queen Elsa said with honesty.

"I don't know about that, but I appreciate it." Hiccup said, a little awkward at the praise, as Meatlug and Stormfly, who had been hunting, came back and landed at the edge of the forest.

At his friends return, Toothless rose from his place on the ground and he walked over to the other dragons, the three of them greeting each other affectionately.

"They are magnificent creatures." The Queen said from her spot next to Hiccup, the two watching the dragons interact. Looking down at her open smile as she looked at the dragon, Hiccup made a decision that he knew would not have been appreciated by Astrid.

"You know, you never really got a chance to meet them yesterday, would like to do it now?"

"You mean like interact with them?" Queen Elsa asked, looking up at him with a hesitant expression as he nodded.

"Yeah, I mean you have already bested the worst of them." At her confused expression, Hiccup couldn't help to smile. "Sharpshot." He clarified.

"But he is so small." The Queen exclaimed with surprise.

"And, as I said yesterday, he is a terror; you don't think we named his type of dragon Terrible Terror for nothing do you?" Hiccup said with a grin as Queen Elsa chuckled.

"I suppose not, though I cannot say I understand how you name anything." She said as she looked at the three dragons with determination. "Alright I want to meet them; I mean how many opportunities will one get to interact with dragons?" She said before turning around to her guard and said: "Kai?"

The man, who had been staring at Hiccup with a suspicious expression the whole time, looked at his Queen hastily.

"Yes, your majesty?" He answered, his eyes returning to Hiccup, who didn't know if he should be uncomfortable or find the situation funny.

"Chief Haddock has promised to introduce me to the dragons." She said, the captain's eyes darting to her.

"What?!" He exclaimed in horror as Queen only smiled at him with amusement.

"It's okay Kai, I will not force you to follow, you wait here." Queen Elsa said before she turned around and began walking towards the dragons. "Are you coming?" She asked Hiccup when she noticed that he didn't follow.

"Don't worry, I will look after her." Hiccup told the captain, who looked as if he highly doubted every single word Hiccup said, before he caught up with the Queen with a few long steps and they fell into step next to each other as they walked over to the dragons.

"You do know that I can look after myself?" Queen Elsa said, her expression unreadable, but this time, there was a playfulness in her voice which had never been there before.

"I do not doubt it, but perhaps it's best to be on the safe side. They are after all dragons." Hiccup replied with a pointed look.

"Well, I cannot argue with that." Queen Elsa responded, a smile on her face.

When they had nearly reached the dragons, Chief Haddock gave a small whistle to gain their attention and the dragons turned to look at them with curious eyes. The Chief's dragon, Toothless, was the first who walked up to meet them, the two others following behind.

Looking at the three dragons, Elsa suddenly felt very small, and she had to admit that she was very glad to know that Chief Haddock was right next to her. The fact that he seemed completely at ease, which perhaps was not very surprising, actually helped to calm down her own nerves.

"So, the best way to greet a dragon is to hold out your hand toward them and not look them in the eye, let them come to you. In that way it's the dragon who chooses if it wants to trust you or not, they are allowed to set the pace. Are you with me?" Chief Haddock instructed her with a calm expression.

"Hold out my hand and don't look them in the eyes, I got it." Elsa said, taking a deep, determined, breath which caused the Chief to smile at her.

"It can help to relax a little as well." He told her and she sent him a small glare in response, but still she forced her shoulders to relax a little. "So, first, we're starting with Meatlug." Chief Haddock said, Elsa looking at the dragon that belonged to Fishlegs. The round, orange dragon was looking at her with kind eyes filled with excitement.

"Now Meatlug is a Gronckle, a stone-eating dragon who is part of what we call the Boulderclass. Gronckels are known for being very friendly and Meatlug in particular is one of kindest dragons I have met. Now, just hold out your hand to her and don't look her the eyes." Chief Haddock said, seemingly completely unfazed by the situation.

Giving him one last look to see if he might be trying to trick her, but finding his face to appear honest, Elsa turned her eyes away from the dragon and reached out her hand in offering. To her surprise, it only took a second before she felt a very harsh muzzle against her hand and she turned to look at the dragon in surprise.

Meatlug was looking at her with the kindest eyes she had ever seen in a creature and with a smile, Elsa carefully moved her hand to scratch the female dragon behind her tiny ears. Her scales were she rougher than the scales of Sharpshot, but still somehow soft. At the attention, Meatlug held out her tongue like a dog and looked very happy as she seemed to vibrate a little, wagging her tail.

"She is adorable." Elsa said to the Chief, who smiled at the scene as Meatlug happily nudged Elsa in the side at her words.

"She is very affectionate and very loyal." Chief Haddock told her before gesturing to the blue dragon that belonged to Astrid, Stormfly.

"Now as Astrid said yesterday, this is Stormfly. She is a Deadly Nadder." He said and Elsa raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Deadly Nadder? I thought you said that the Terrible Terror had the worst name!" Elsa said slightly accusing, which caused the Chief to laugh.

"I suppose that's how you look at it. The nadders got their names from the spikes on their bodies that they can throw at their enemies, of course they can also breath fire if they wish to, but it's the spikes that make them stand out." Hearing his explanation, Elsa gave the Chief a skeptical look.

"How can that in any way be classified as less dangerous than little Sharpshot?" She asked with disbelief. "No wait, don't answer that, I don't think I want to know." She added when Chief Haddock opened his mouth to explain and her words only made him smile even more. "So do I just approach her the same way?" Elsa asked as she watched Stormfly who, unlike Meatlug, didn't seem to be the least interested in her.

"Yes, but do not feel disappointed if she doesn't choose to come to you. Nadders are very emotional dragons and it takes time to win their trust. Also Stormfly is… she is Stormfly."

At his words, Elsa couldn't help to remember that Chief Haddock had said something similar about Astrid the day before and reaching her hand forward, Elsa had no expectations at all which turned out to be wise, for Stormfly simply looked at her hand for a moment while chattering a little to herself. Then she turned around and walked away in the direction of the cottages.

"I guess I have some work left to do there." Elsa said, thinking that the same applied to her rider.

"With time she will come around, she just needs to know what you are made of, but after that she will never let you down." Chief Haddock answered and, for some reason, Elsa felt that he was referring to Astrid just as much as she herself had.

She didn't put to much thought into this though as Chief Haddock walked up to his own dragon and laid his hand on its neck.

"And now, this is Toothless. He is a Night Fury and and my best friend, aren't you bud?" Chief Haddock asked the dragon who nudged his rider in the side affectionately. "Just don't think too much about it if he is a little wary, it usually takes some time to win his trust fully as well."

Elsa nodded her head in reply before she held her hand forward a third time and tried to ignore the piercing eyes that was looking at her intensely.

And, indeed, Toothless was inspecting the ice-woman carefully. He had just met her once before, but Toothless had already then been able to feel that inside the ice-cold shell she had built around her, there was a genuine kindness and a warmth towards those who was allowed underneath her icy armor.

What made him most curious about her though, and had made him so already at their first meeting, was that the ice-woman also carried a strange cold inside her. Toothless had never encountered any creature where the cold was a part of them as they were in the white-haired ice-woman. It was attached to her very being and flowed through her body as easily as any emotion, but it he had noticed how it at times almost seemed to rage against her like a tide since she had detached it from herself. It also made her smell funny, for there was a biting cold which accompanied her otherwise normal human smell.

Then there was also the darkness, the darkness that at most times was nearly hidden, but crept around her and gave a foul smell. It was, in a way, similar to the darkness that had once weighed down his Hiccup many years ago, but it also smelled like the darkness that now had weighed down his life-partner since the death of his older kin and he had taken over as Alpha for the humans.

So looking at the ice-woman, Toothless wondered if this human, who came from a different world and appeared so detached from herself, could be the only one who could understand his Hiccup? Also, he couldn't help to remember another human who, against his own fears, had once offered him friendship, much like the ice-woman did now, for he could sense her fear no matter how good she was at masking it.

Making his decision, Toothless reached forward and touched the ice-woman's hand, drawing back and shaking his head a little as he felt the strange cold against his muzzle that seemed to seep from her hands. At her huge smile however, Toothless did not argue when the ice-woman walked forward and placed her hand on his head in thanks, her cold hand already not feeling as strange as before.

Hiccup, who was watching the interaction, was a little surprised that Toothless had decided to accept the Queen so quickly, but he knew better than to question Toothless' decision and decided not to dwell on it to much.

"Two out of three, I think it's my turn to be impressed Queen Elsa." He said instead.

"Thank you Chief Haddock! Though I more think it's the dragons who deserve the praise for being so accepting." Queen Elsa said as Toothless who gave her a pleased look at her praise.

At least they would have no trouble getting along now.

"I must ask however, why the name Toothless?" Queen Elsa asked.

"It's because he has retractable teeth, the first time I met him I thought he was toothless and the name just kind of stuck." Hiccup answered as Queen Elsa looked at Toothless with interest.

"How does it work?" She asked.

"I'm not completely sure but… Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed as his friend, apparently, had chosen that the best way to answer the question was to show Queen Elsa himself by grabbing a hold of the hem of her dress.

Luckily, the Queen only stared at him for a moment before she started laughing at his dragon who was grinning up at her with his usual toothless grin, his eyes full of mischief, before he let go of her dress, his teeth coming back out as he opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"Well, I think that explains it, thank you Toothless." Queen Elsa said with a huge smile as Hiccup simply glared at his dragon.

"Perhaps a little warning next time bud? You know, so no one thinks you are trying to eat them." Hiccup said as Toothless sent him a slightly offended look before he suddenly jumped forward and started licking him all over.

"Okay, okay I forgive you! Stupid reptile." Hiccup finally managed to get out, Toothless giving him a smug smile as he sat down on the ground next to his rider.

"He sure do seem affectionate." Queen Elsa said, looking at Hiccup with glittering eyes as he could tell that she was doing her best not to laugh, and he had to admit he was impressed that she managed to hold it back. But when he tried to dry some of the saliva off, he could hear how a small laugh escaped her. "Does he do that to everyone?" She asked, clearing her throat.

"No, only me and Thor knows I have tried to make him stop." Hiccup said as he tried to see if any part of his shirt was not filled with saliva.

"You know; I think he is only trying to show his affection." Queen Elsa said as she pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in her dress and gave it to him, a huge smile on her face. Once again Hiccup found that he couldn't help to smile back.

"He is a nightmare." Hiccup replied half heartedly, knowing the Queen was right, as he managed to dry off a little of the saliva with the extremely soft piece of cloth. Then he saw the stain on the Queen's dress. "And now I have to apologize, it doesn't wash out." He said, gesturing to the part that was now covered in dragon saliva and to the soft cloth he held in his hand.

"Oh, it's no worry, the drees can always be altered a little and the handkerchief is old anyway." She said lightly, looking down at the stain on her dress. "I must say that Toothless seems to be the holder of many secrets." She added as she looked at his dragon who in return, looked back at her in with an unreadable expression as if to prove her point.

"He is; I still learn things about him that I didn't know before. But as with everyone, with time we have come to trust in each other and we are learning something new everyday, aren't we bud?" Hiccup said, nudging Toothless in the side as his dragon sent him a slightly amused look.

"Time is a factor of course, but you gain no ones trust if you do not earn it as well. I think that earing the trust is even more important." Queen Elsa said as Hiccup looked back at her face which had become more closed once more. Still, he could see that there was something that could be hinted in her eyes; was it fear? Or was it simply hesitation? He wasn't sure, but for some reason, Hiccup felt that he would have been able to connect to the feeling if he had been able to understand it.

"That's true, but if no one is ever brave enough to take the risk to trust someone, they will never have the change to prove that they can be trusted either. To gain trust, you must both give and risk." He told her, thinking back to the risk he had taken the day he had found Toothless and chosen to release him, but also the risk his friend had taken when he in return had let Hiccup go.

For a moment, the Queen looked at him with searching eyes before a small, almost sad, smile spread over her lips.

"I do believe you are right Chief Haddock." Queen Elsa said quietly and she was just about to say something more when a throat cleared behind them.

Turning around, Hiccup saw the captain standing there, taking in Hiccup's appearance with a stunned and slightly disgusted expression, not that Hiccup could blame him.

"Yes, Kai?" Queen Elsa asked the man, a slight edge to her voice, and he stopped staring as he turned to look at her instead.

"Uh yes… Queen Elsa, we need to return to the castle now if you are to be ready for the wedding." He said, his eyes gliding back to Hiccup and Toothless.

"Yes of course." The Queen said, a slightly stressed look crossing her before her mask of politeness fall back on. It wasn't until now, when he saw the big contrast, that Hiccup understood just how much that mask had fallen away, even when they had spoken about trust.

"Once again, I am very happy that you accepted my apology Chief Haddock and I look forward to see you at the wedding." Queen Elsa said to him before she turned to leave, but she turned back to him just as quickly once more.

"And I really appreciate that you trusted me to truly meet with your friends." She said, her face once more open with a gentle and slightly hesitant smile on her face. "You can also keep the handkerchief." She said with a pointed look in his direction before she walked away.

For a moment, Hiccup looked after her as he thought about the very different side he had just seen of the Queen and how easy it had been to interact and talk to the woman underneath. Perhaps there was a possibility that some kind of friendship could form between him and the Queen after all.

Heading back towards his cottage to try and wash out the saliva, he had barley reached the door when Fishlegs and Astrid came walking up the road.

"Don't say anything!" He said to them both as he walked past them, Astrid and Fishlegs wearing equal grins on their faces.

"We weren't going to! Just make sure to wash it all out!" Astrid said as he closed the door, a smile on his face as well.

* * *

 **In all honesty I wanted to cut this chapter a little short, but in the end I decided against it for there was nowhere I really could cut it off! But, let's leave that behind, the next chapter is the wedding! :D**

 **Leave your review on what you think about Hiccup and Elsa, any progress in this chapter? What will happen? And what about little Toothless, what role will he play? ;)**

 **Also, did you find the small cameo-mentions? If you did, tell me and I might send you a small snippet from the next chapter which might involve Elsa, Hiccup and a full moon. Just saying haha!**

 **Until next time my dear readers!  
/Lysistrate **


	8. Chapter 8

**New chap and it's a day early, yay! Not much to say here so I will just let you go on, read it, if you dare!**

 **Laidyx:** I love Toothless as well! He is such an amazing character, makes me want to have Night Fury of my own, though he probably wouldn't be able to fit in my apartment ;) And Hiccup and Elsa do work well together, though they will need some help on the way and Toothless might be a little nudge in the right direction haha!

 **Noctus Fury:** Oh my, your reviews put such huge smiles on my faces and just, wow, thank you for taking your time to review! So happy that you liked the scene with Elsa, Rapunzel and Anna, I loved to write it! Also, there might be a possibility that Hiccup will have to save someone, or at least he have not seen the last of the maids, I can tell you that!

Yes trust is a hard thing and it will turn out Hiccup knew what he was talking about without knowing it himself ;) And I totally agree with you, they all would have been an amazing family, they appear to fit so well together. :D

Haha I simply love your ideas of how Hiccup can gain Elsa's trust and win her over! You will simply have to keep on reading to see what will happen, though I can say that some moving of feet will be seen in this chapter, after all, what is a wedding without a ball? ;D

* * *

8.

"Are you sure I look fine?"

"Anna you look stunning; no one will be able to take their eyes off ofyou." Elsa said, taking her sisters hands in her own so Anna would stop twirling them around nervously. "You are not getting cold feet are you? For if you are, it's not my fault." At her words, Elsa was rewarded with a smile and Anna relaxed a little bit.

"No, no I am not. I love Kristoff and I want to spend the rest of my life with him! It's just that I'm nervous that I will make a fool of myself. What if I fall walking down the aisle or say something wrong?" Anna answered in a stressed voice.

"You know what? Stop it! You will not fall walking down the aisle and all you have to do is repeat after the bishop." Elsa said sternly, pushing back a small hair that had fallen down in Anna's face. "Besides you have a secret weapon that will guarantee that everything will turn out perfectly." Elsa said with a smile.

"I do?" Anna said, looking at Elsa with a confused expression.

"Yes, you do; you have me. I will be there the whole time looking out for you." Elsa said, Anna's eyes filling with tears as she gave Elsa a warm hug. "I will always look out for you Anna, you know that right?" Elsa whispered to her sister, Anna nodding her head as Elsa felt how tears began to form in her eyes and she took a step back to break the hug so she could collect herself.

Seeing the tears in Anna's eyes as well, Elsa chuckled as she took out her handkerchief and dried them away.

"Look at us, we are already running our makeup." Elsa said with a smile.

"You know that I love you, don't you? That will never change, you will always be my sister." Anna said with a grave expression, Elsa feeling how she had to push back her tears once more.

"Of course I do, and I love you too." Elsa said, composing herself as she looked over Anna's appearance one last time. Her white dress was perfect and her hair was up in a stunning hairdo. Around her neck she had one of the royal golden necklaces and her golden tiara with dark green gems sparkled in the light.

"Now are you ready to go?" Elsa asked, Anna nodding her head in response as Elsa gave her her wedding bouquet filled with lilies, pink roses and lilies of the valley before Anna took a hold of her arm, and together they walked out into the courtyard.

As soon as they came out in sunlight, the huge crowd that had gathered in the courtyard started cheering loudly. The two sisters walked together down the stairs and into a carriage that took them to the old church where the wedding would take place, the people of Arendelle crowding the streets all the way, waving with flags and shouting words of luck.

Reaching the church, Elsa and Anna walked inside to the cheers of the people who had gathered there as well and, as they did, Elsa did her best to ignore Anna's hard grip on her arm, knowing that her sister was simply nervous.

Elsa had to admit that she was a little nervous as well.

Inside the church, they were greeted by the two flower girls, both looking adorable in their pink gowns, and the young boy who was the carrying the rings. Also there was the groom himself who, Elsa had to admit, looked very handsome for the occasion.

That Anna didn't fully agree however was clear when her sister flew to Kristoff's side the moment they laid eyes on each other, both looking at the other as if they were the only two people in the room. It was such an intimate moment that Elsa felt the need to give them some privacy, so she turned to the young children who were all looking a little nervous.

"Are you ready?" She asked them with a smile, the two little girls nodding their heads as the young boy, who was Sir Anckarloo's youngest, puffed up his chest and he gave her a grave look.

"We're always ready, your majesty." He told her and Elsa couldn't help to chuckle.

"I am very happy to hear it. You will all do splendidly, of that I have no doubt." She said, the young children seemingly relaxing a little as she turned back to Anna and Kristoff who were now both starting to look a little pale.

Elsa gave them both an encouraging smile as the music began to play in the church, telling Elsa it was her cue to enter, but before she had time to walk through the doors, Anna suddenly let out a cry of panic.

"Wait! I have nothing blue! Elsa! I can't get married without something blue." She said as she rushed up to Elsa and stared at her sister in horror while Kristoff watched the situation from the same spot as before, knowing this was one of those moments it was best to just stay in the background.

"Anna, breathe, remember what I said before, I will fix this." Elsa said calmly to her sister, Anna taking a deep breath as she nodded her head, her eyes filled with absolute faith. "Now just hold on a second and don't move." Elsa said, taking a few steps back from Anna and concentrated her willpower on what she wished to create, visualizing the result in her head.

"Okay, ready?" She asked when she had a clear picture and Anna nodded her head. At her approval, Elsa began moving her hands in the air as tiny, tiny ice crystals started to appear in the air around Anna. They floated around her for a moment, taking on their form, before they closed in around her sister and landed on the wine-like patterns that had been sown into Anna's wedding dress.

"Now spin around." Elsa said as she lowered her hands, the small children gasping loudly when Anna did as she said, the wines on the dress coming to life as the ice crystals reflected the light in a way that made them take on a deep blue color. As soon as Anna stood still once more, the color disappeared.

"Elsa it is beautiful, thank you." Anna said, throwing her arms around her sister as the children and Kristoff stared mesmerized at the dress that was glowing in different shades of blue with every movement.

"Just remember that you and Kristoff are meant to be together, I know that, but if we do not get moving you will be late for your own wedding, and you don't want that do you?" Elsa said as she gave Anna a small push in Kristoff's direction with a smile.

At this Anna laughed before taking her rightful place next to her soon to be husband and Elsa nodded to the servants by the doors. With slightly awed faces, as they looked at Anna's dress, they opened them and Elsa walked through down the aisle, feeling relief that she was not too late and could make up for the lost time by simply walking a little faster than they had practiced earlier.

No one would ever even notice that anything had been going on behind the closed doors.

As she walked down the aisle, Elsa looked out over the crowd of faces, seeing them almost in a haze as they seemed to melt into each other. In one of the middle rows however, a pair of piercing green eyes caught her attention and she registered that Chief Haddock managed to clean up after his encounter with Toothless earlier that morning after all.

Turning her attention back forward, she sent the bishop a smile before she took her place in front of her seat in the front row, which had the chairs turned in the direction of the aisle, next to Rapunzel and Eugene.

When she reached them, they both smiled warmly at her and even though she smiled back, Elsa could not help to feel how a deep sadness filled her as well. There were only three seats up close to the alter. Anna and Elsa had no other family than their cousins and since Kristoff had been orphaned as a young chil he had no family at all.

Of course, this was not completely true, for he did have his family of trolls. However, the trolls had chosen to not be present despite Anna's and Kristoff's attempts to persuade them to attended. The trolls had felt that this was not a scene in which they belonged, something that Elsa could fully understand. In fact, she was uncertain if they even had been allowed into the church by the bishop at all.

In the end, Anna and Kristoff had accepted the troll's reasoning, though they had both been sad that they wouldn't attend.

As the music changed to the wedding march, Elsa let go of her darker thoughts as she turned towards the doors where the young children was just walking through, the little girls throwing their flowers happily as thy went down the aisle while Anckarloo's son looked extremely proud with his mission.

When the wedding couple came into view, a collective gasp went through the church as Anna and Kristoff began walking down the aisle. The guests were all looking at the glowing couple with wonder and, in the women's case envy, as they began whispering amongst each other, some even pointing at Anna's dress.

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help to feel proud at the reaction to her handiwork.

When the couple reached the alter and the bishop, the old man made a notion for all guests to sit down, causing Anna and Kristoff to be the only ones who remained standing. He gave the couple a warm smile, his eyes kind as he winked at Anna, before he cleared his throat loudly and began speaking.

"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today…"

* * *

The wedding had been a long, but also very beautiful, ceremony and on the way back to the castle, the Vikings had been amazed at the amount of people who had gathered along the streets to send their wishes of fortune to the newly wedded couple.

After the wedding ceremony, an enormous and fantastic dinner had followed, during which Queen Elsa had held a speech about the love she felt for her sister and how proud she was of the person she had become. But she had also welcomed Kristoff into the royal family, whishing him the best of luck as he now officially took on his new role as prince.

Her speech had caused the majority of the female guests to cry, but it had been nothing compered to the tears that flowed when Kristoff had held his speech to Princess Anna, the raw emotion in his voice and the love in his eyes moving even the coldest of hearts.

In Hiccup's case however, he had been slightly distracted during Kristoff's speech, for the noble woman next to him had cried so much that he had been forced to offer her his own napkin since she had soaked her own. After a little while though, he had been forced to ask the lady next to him if he could give the crying woman her napkin as well.

Astrid's partner for the night had turned out to not be much better either, for the man had been telling her strange stories all night about how he had once encountered a spirit high up in the mountains. Apparently the spirit had promised to grant him his deepest wish if he could find it again and during the night he had tried to find out if there was any possibility that these type of spirits lived on Berk?

So when it was finally announced that the dinner was over, Hiccup and Astrid had both looked at each other with relief, knowing that they only had to escort their partners to the ballroom before they could slip away, but, thankfully, Rapunzel and Eugene turned up just at the right time and whisked them away before anyone could notice.

"What are you two doing? Not that I'm complaining!" Hiccup said to Rapunzel, who had taken a hold of his arm and was now escorting _him_ through the crowd, Eugene, Astrid and Fishlegs following close behind.

"We are saving you from Sir Weirdo and Mrs. Cry-me-river." Rapunzel said with a glowing smile. "Also you just have to see what Elsa have done with the ballroom, it's amazing!" She exclaimed as the guests let them through, seeing that it was the Queen's cousin who was making her way through the crowd.

Rapunzel led them all the way up to where Anna, Kristoff and Queen Elsa was standing. At their sudden appearance, Queen Elsa looked between Hiccup and Rapunzel before her eyes landed on her cousin with a raised eyebrow, Rapunzel only sending her a huge smile in reply.

At this, Queen Elsa shook her head before she walked through the doors that led into the other room and as the rest of them followed, Hiccup couldn't help to think that he had missed something during the women's silent communication, though he had no idea what it was.

"Now watch!" Rapunzel whispered excitedly to Hiccup as they entered the huge room and once it came into view, all he could do was look around in wonder.

The most part of the room was in some way decorated with glowing ice. It traveled up the pillars like vines, taking on shapes like leaves, flowers, hearts and snowflakes, only to continue up into the ceiling where it hung down in beautiful shapes and forms. It was also glowing in the light of the candles like glittering diamonds, turning the whole room into a glittering display of color.

"Isn't it fantastic?" Rapunzel asked him, smiling at the awed expression on his, Astrid's and Fishlegs' faces, an expression shared with the rest of the guests.

"It is." Hiccup said. Behind the feeling of wonder though, he couldn't help to feel some caution as well, once more wondering how powerful Queen Elsa truly was. After all, if he had ever doubted that she was the constructor of the ice-palace they had seen on their way into Arendelle, this would have made it undoubtedly clear that she was.

The sound of the announcer's pole made the awed guests turn in the direction of the man from yesterday who was standing next to Queen Elsa and the newly wedded couple. Hiccup noticed that Anna and Kristoff seemed just as mesmerized by the large room as everyone else.

"As tradition holds, I do believe it's time for the couple to start the ball with their first dance as husband and wife. Maestro, some music?" Queen Elsa said with a smile as Princesses Anna and Kristoff walked out together on the dance floor.

When they had reached the middle of the floor, Queen Elsa suddenly raised her right hand and with a wave, an ice blast flew from her hand and exploded over the couple, turning into snowflakes which began to fall down over the dancing couple, creating a magical vision as they floated over the dance floor.

"How does she do it?" Astrid asked, looking at Queen Elsa, who was now talking with an elderly man, both of them looking at her sister and Kristoff with glowing eyes. Astrid on the other hand wore an expression that clearly showed that she had not appreciated the Queen's display of power.

"Who knows? She waves her hand and it just happens like magic, though Elsa doesn't like that word. All I can say is that had I not met a woman with glowing hair before I met Elsa, I probably would have run in the different direction." Eugene said causally with a grin, as the Vikings looked at him.

"Glowing hair?" Astrid repeated slowly.

"Yes indeed! Let me introduce her!" He said as he walked over to Rapunzel and put his arm around his wife who was looking at him with amusement. "This is Rapunzel, my wife, who had extremely long golden hair that glowed when you sang to it and could heal any wound. At least it could until I cut it off." He said with a grin as the Vikings all shared a look.

"How did it…" Hiccup began to ask, curious to hear that another family member had had special abilities, but Astrid put her hand over his mouth.

"Don't ask! I can only handle a certain amount of crazy in one day and I certainly have had enough!" She said, a slightly pleading look in her eyes and Hiccup smiled at her as he nodded his head. "But I have to admit that it sounds like an awesome power Punzie." Astrid said to Rapunzel who laughed.

"Punzie?" Rapunzel repeated. "I like it!"

"You didn't like it when I called you that!" Eugene exclaimed, looking down at Rapunzel who smiled up at him.

"Of course not, you are my husband, I cannot have the man of my life call me Punzie, it's something one calls a friend. Don't you agree Astrid?" Rapunzel said as she left Eugene's side and walked up to Astrid, looping their arms together.

"Of course, didn't you know that Eugene?" She said as the two women grinned at him.

"It's official; I will never understand women." Eugene said with a tired voice, Hiccup and Fishlegs feeling that they had never agreed more on any subject.

"And unfortunately I fear you never will, Prince Eugene." A deep voice said next to Hiccup. Looking to his right, he could see that Queen Elsa had walked up next to him, but it wasn't she who had spoken, it was the elderly man they had seen her speaking with earlier.

"And I think that's for the best." Queen Elsa said with a smile to the old man who chuckled before he reached his hand out to Hiccup.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you Chief Haddock, I have heard much good about you. I am Peter Anckarloo, her majesty's closest man." He said, shaking Hiccup's hand firmly, a kind smile on his face. "And Miss Hofferson, a pleasure as well." He said, giving a small bow in Astrid's direction.

"And lastly, Master Fishlegs." The man then said, turning to Fishlegs who shook the man's hand as well. "I must say I am very, very pleased with our partnership Master Fishlegs, very pleased indeed. In fact, there are some men here tonight I would very much like for you to meet, if her majesty and Chief Haddock approves?" He said, turning to Hiccup and the Queen.

"Fishlegs is free to choose for himself." Hiccup said, once again thinking how strange it was that everyone in this land expected him to approve of decisions his friends could make very well on their own.

"I see no problem with it at all, just don't bore my guests Sir Anckarloo, there will be time to discuss all of this later on." Queen Elsa said with a smile, the man nodding to her with an excited expression as he and Fishlegs both disappeared into the crowed.

"Well, I just came over to see that you all are having a good time, and to see my cousins are not corrupting you all too much?" Queen Elsa said to them with a smile, sending Rapunzel a look which caused her cousin to chuckle.

"Come on Elsa, how could you possibly think we are corrupting anyone?" Eugene said with an innocent smile as Elsa turned her attention to him.

"You really want me to answer that?" She asked with a skeptical look as Eugene looked a little sheepish, an expression Hiccup had never seen on the other man's face before.

"I think I'm good." He replied, clearing his throat.

"And even if they were trying to corrupt us Queen Elsa, I think they would hardly succeed. Vikings are not the easiest to corrupt. In fact, I think you should be more worried that we are corrupting them." Astrid said, her face guarded as she looked at the Queen.

"Well if you are, please do corrupt my cousin to not mess with my dance card as she did last time. It would actually be appreciated." Queen Elsa said with stern look at Rapunzel, who looked completely innocent, before she sent both Astrid and Hiccup a warm smile. "I do hope you will enjoy your evening and that I will get to speak with you some more before the night is over, but now I need to attend to rest of the guests."

With those words, Queen Elsa nodded to them before she glided through the crowed with ease, Hiccup looking after her as she disappeared.

"What's a dance card?" Astrid asked, looking after the Queen as well with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh it's a card where you write down all of the men you have promised to dance with during the night. Elsa didn't really like it when I kind of accepted some dances in her name once." Rapunzel said casually.

"How strange. At Berk, you simply grab a hold of the one you want to dance with, there is no list." Astrid said, frowning.

"Sounds like a much better system." Eugene said, grabbing a hold of Rapunzel's card to show Astrid what they looked like, Hiccup noticing how almost every single slot held Eugene's own name.

"Do you dance Chief Hiccup?" Rapunzel suddenly asked him, a thoughtful expression on her face as she looked out over the sea of people around them.

"No I don't and defiantly not like this." He said, shaking his head, as he looked over at all the couples on the dance floor who were moving in perfect sync to the music, each step well rehearsed.

"Too bad." Rapunzel answered, her eyes trained on Queen Elsa who was standing across the room talking to a group of men, her face once more the perfect picture of nothing more than politeness and grace.

* * *

Elsa took a deep breath as she walked out of the warm ballroom, welcoming the cold breeze coming in from the mountains. With each breath she took, she could feel how her body relaxed and how her mind began to clear, and she was grateful that she had finally managed to escape the crowded ballroom.

Over the last hours, Elsa had done nothing more than to talk polity to all of the guests. She had smiled at the right places and declined countless of offers do dance as polity as she could. When she finally had felt how a headache had started to form, she had managed to excuse herself to get some air.

Now standing out on the balcony, which led to royal gardens, Elsa felt that she was in no way ready to return to the warm ballroom. Making sure no one could see her escape, she rushed down the staircase and disappeared into the garden as swiftly as she could.

As she walked further away from the party, she felt relief as the sound from it started to die away and being replaced by the music of crickets instead. The full moon was shining in all its glory high up in the sky, casting its ice blue light over the world and Elsa felt the usual hum inside that she always felt during the full moon.

Walking slowly down one of lanes, Elsa felt how tired she was of all the noblemen who were trying to gain her attention and get in her good graces, for they simply refused to understand that she was not looking for a man to marry.

Or any man at all for that matter.

Sighing, Elsa looked around and noticed that her feet had taken her to her favorite glade in the gardens. It was one of the smaller ones, with a huge willow tree right next to a small pond. Underneath the willow, a bench had been placed and over the years, the three had come to hide it away from watchful eyes.

This was a place Elsa had often escaped to when she was little and needed to be alone. It was a place that held a lot of painful memories, but also memories of relief since it had given her solitude when she had needed to be alone and even though she no longer came to the glade as often, Elsa could still escape to this place whenever she needed to be alone and wanted no one to find her.

Now she walked up to the lake and, without stopping, she walked out on it, the water turning to ice underneath her feet with every step. She didn't stop until she had reached the middle of the lake where an old statue had been placed many decades ago. It pictured a woman who was holding the royal relics in her hands.

She was very beautiful and one of Elsa's old relatives. What mostly connected Elsa to the woman in front of her however, was the fact that she, just like Elsa, had once ruled as Queen without a man by her side. In fact, she had been Arendelle's first and only female ruler until Elsa.

"Did you have the same problems I do?" Elsa whispered as she looked up at the statue, her ancestor silent as she simply stared ahead. "I suppose you did, not that you're going to answer me." Elsa muttered to herself and walked back across the lake to sit down on the small bench by the willow, waving her hand so the ice disappeared once more.

If she was ever to fall in love, she thought as she conjured up a snowflake to play with, it would be with a man who was honest and could love her for who she was, not for her title. It would be a man who could challenge her, allow her to be different and want her to be so. It would be a man who did not wish to steal her crown and could accept her power. But most importantly, he would have to understand the responsibility she felt for her people and that, despite what everyone thought, she wasn't whole.

The only problem was, did a man like that even exist?

"I must say, your power only appears to be more and more impressing."

At the voice Elsa flew up from the bench, her heart racing and her hands raised to defend herself. When she saw the intruder though, she lowered them slowly. But her senses were still on high alert.

In front of her stood Chief Haddock, a serious expression on his face and his green eyes cautious as they were fixed on her hands. Feeling her heartbeat calm a bit more as he looked at her with an apologetic expression, Elsa couldn't help to be surprised that the Chief had managed to sneak up on her, especially considering his metal leg, but then again he moved with a stealth that was unusual, especially among her people.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said carefully, staying rooted in place, his eyes darting between her eyes and her hands.

"It's okay, I was just a bit far away." Elsa said, finally relaxing a little.

"I meant what I said though, your power seems truly amazing." Chief Haddock said, first taking a hesitant step forward to see if she would stop him, before slowly walking up next to her when she simply sat down on the bench one more.

"Thank you… I suppose." She replied, a little uncertain what she would say. After all, it was normally only her family who usually complimented her power, others usually didn't dare to mention it since they were afraid of it.

"So…" He said as he sat down next to her, looking out over the lake.

"So what?" Elsa asked carefully, wondering if the Chief was about to ask if she had been cursed or how powerful she was, those were the usual questions after all.

"How does it work?" He asked instead, looking at her with interest as Elsa looked at him with a surprise. Out of all the questions, this was the last one she had expected. In fact, no one had ever asked her how her power worked, everyone had just simply accepted that she had it or drawn their own conclusions.

For a moment, Elsa considered not to answer the question at all, but when she looked at Chief Haddock's open, kind and genuine expression, she felt herself reconsider. His eyes didn't look at her with fear, suspicion or judgment, all she could see in his eyes was genuine interest. As she looked at him, their conversation from earlier that day suddenly returned.

Chief Haddock had told her that for trust to build, one part needed to take a risk and, if she was honest with herself, since they arrived it was the Chief who had taken most of those. He and his friends had come into a strange land, knowing nothing of what had awaited them and he had also allowed her to meet and gain information about their dragons without asking for anything in return.

Chief Haddock had clearly showed that he wanted the alliance between their countries to not only be built on trust between Fishlegs and her council, but also a mutual trust between them as leaders. For it to work though, it was now Elsa's time to take a risk and share a small, but vital, part of herself.

"To be honest, I'm not completely sure. I was born with my power and it's very much in tune my emotions. It takes the shapes I wish it to, but I can also use it on a larger level, controlling the environment around me." She said, feeling how she felt nervous about how the Chief would react.

In response, Chief Haddock only nodded his head as if in deep thought.

"So, if you get emotionally upset, that will effect the world around you?" He asked and Elsa couldn't help to smile at his wondering expression.

"Sometimes yes, though it's only when I am feeling something extremely strongly." Elsa said with a shrug, looking away from his green eyes for a moment.

"But you also use it without really thinking about it?" He asked, still looking at her with a thoughtful expression.

"Like I said; it's a part of me." She said, feeling a little uncomfortable under the Chief's gaze.

"When we flew in over the north mountains, we flew past a giant ice palace up in the mountains." At his words, Elsa felt herself tense up a little, for she clearly heard the unspoken question and she had to force herself to answer.

Take a risk, she said to herself.

"Yes, I would expect that you did if you came over the north mountain." She replied, happy that her voice sounded causal as she felt her power tingle in her fingertips and when she touched a leaf on the willow, the frost spread over it giving her an outlet to her mixed emotions.

"And you praised me for exquisite work earlier this day." The Chief said with awe and as Elsa turned to look at him, she felt how a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Chief Haddock was looking at her with slight disbelief, but in his eyes existed nothing except acceptance.

Well, there was a fair amount of interest as well, but it was the way that he honestly wasn't looking at her as a freak of nature that made her feel such relief that she couldn't help to smile at him.

"I was being honest Chief Haddock." Elsa said, for she had really meant her praise earlier that day.

"You might have been, but a saddle compared to an entire ice palace? I mean come on, that's just… unbelievable." He exclaimed.

"Says the man who tamed a dragon." Elsa said with a pointed look as Chief Haddock grinned at her.

"I suppose that does make me a kind of amazing." He said.

"Oh I never said that!" Elsa laughed, happy at how easily Chief Haddock had just accepted everything she had just told him. But then again, the man did live with dragons. "Besides shouldn't I be worried? A Viking following me from a party and catching me alone, you might be planning something?" She said as rose from the bench and took a few steps forward, happy that Chief Haddock understood the hint and began walking next to her.

"I actually think you followed me, Queen Elsa." Chief Haddock said, a serious expression on his face, though his eyes were full of mirth.

"A Queen never follows anyone; besides, it wasn't I who found you." Elsa replied.

"Really? For if I was not mistaken I was already in the glade when you came there, I was just standing on the other side of the pond." Chief Haddock said with a grin.

"I would have seen you!" Elsa exclaimed.

"And yet you didn't, but you were in deep thought so I suppose I can forgive you for the fact that you so fully ignored me." Chief Haddock chuckled as Elsa sent him a small glare, which was totally lost since she was smiling at him at the same time.

"So if you were not following me, what brought you out here in the gardens then?" She asked, actually a little interested.

"Dancing." The Chief replied, as if it was the most simple answer in the world.

"Dancing?" Elsa repeated, thinking it was a little fun since it had been one of the reasons she had left the ballroom herself. "I am sorry Chief Haddock, but I hardly think you will find a partner out here." She added as Chief Haddock looked at her with a horrified expression.

"I'm not? It appears then that I have been fooled by the Queen's court my lady!" He said in a stage whisper that caused Elsa to laugh despite trying not to. "However, the real reason, Queen Elsa, is that I was simply tired of having to decline one dance after the other. I do not know the dances here at your court and also, peg leg." He said, gesturing to his metal leg as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You must excuse me if I am being rude Chief Haddock, but for how long have had your… peg leg?" Elsa asked, hoping she was not overstepping a line when asking. But the Chief simply shrugged his shoulders as if it was the most natural question in the world.

"It is a vailed question. I lost it when I was fifteen. Toothless and I was battling a giant dragon who had been torturing Berk for many years. We defeated it, but it managed to get the lower half of my leg with it. Luckily Gobber, my old mentor and our master blacksmith, managed to design a new one. Although I have altered it many times over the years." He said.

"How large was this dragon if you call her a giant?" Elsa asked, feeling some dreed to hear the answer since none of the dragons she had met could be considered small.

The Chief stopped walking, looking around before he gestured to the castle. "Not as large as your home, but about half its size."

"How could you defeat that?" Elsa asked as she stared at the Chief with disbelief, trying to understand how any creature could be so horrendously large.

"I couldn't have done it without Toothless and we didn't win on strength. We simply managed to outwit it." Chief Haddock answered humbly, acting as of the whole ordeal was nothing to talk about and and Elsa felt how her respect for the man next to her grew.

Any noble she had met would have bragged about his accomplishment for hours at any chance he could get. Just earlier that evening, Lady Beltham's son had told her for half an hour about a deer he had killed earlier in the week. Chief Haddock had killed a monstrous dragon at the age of fifteen and still he didn't seem to find any need to blow up his achievement.

"So a man who outwitted an enormous dragon still fears to try a dance here in Arendelle?" Elsa asked, happy when the Chief laughed.

"I will not be ashamed to admit that I actually do fear the wrath of the woman I would step on the toes more than the wrath of a dragon any day." He said as he drew a hand through his hair, looking a little distressed at the mere thought.

"You can't be that bad Chief Haddock." Elsa said skeptically.

"Oh, I think I can Queen Elsa. Besides from what I heard, you have not engaged in dancing all evening either." He said, turning the tables around on her.

"I do not dance, Chief Haddock." Elsa said as she sent an irritated thought to Rapunzel who she knew had to be the villain behind this knowledge.

"And that, I believe, puts us in the same boat Queen Elsa."

"That may be so, but at least I know the steps." She said as the the Chief sent her a look that made her slightly nervous.

"How would I know that you do?" He said with a smug smile.

"Do what?" Elsa asked, doing her best to look away from his green eyes, for they only made the nervous feeling inside to grow slightly.

"Know the steps. You just admitted that you do not dance and since you indeed have not danced tonight, how do I know you are telling me the truth?" He said.

"I was raised learning how to dance Chief Haddock, trust me, I know all I need to know about dancing." Elsa replied.

"Right." The Chief said and Elsa felt how she became a little frustrated at how he had managed to turn the situation around, but also at how he seemed to think he had just made his point solid. Then an idea entered her mind at how she could throw him off guard once more.

"Well, I suppose you leave me with no choice then. Chief Haddock, I need you to put your hand on my waist." At her words, Chief Haddock tripped over his own feet as he stared at her with wide eyes and stuttered something she couldn't understand.

"What?" He finally managed to croak out, his face red as Elsa smiled at his distressed expression.

"You just told me you do not know how to dance which I do not believe, while I told you that I am an excellent dancer which you claim not to trust, so to solve this once and for all, I will teach you." Elsa said innocently.

"Are you serious about this or is this some kind of weird way to get me arrested for doubting the Queen's word?" Chief Haddock asked, still looking at Elsa as if he really had no idea what to think of her at all. It was a little amusing actually.

"I can most certainly promise that you won't get arrested, if you do not cross any lines of course." Elsa said, the challenge in her voice clear and judging by the Chief's expression, she knew he had picked up on it.

"If I brake your toes, you stand the risk." He finally muttered before he walked over to her. "So what do we do?" He asked, still looking very hesitant about the whole thing. He looked even more so when Elsa placed his warm hand correctly on her waist, one of her own hands on his shoulder and took his left hand in her right.

Looking up at him now, Elsa noticed for the first time that the Chief was half a head longer than herself. Normally, all men were her own seize or shorter and she had to admit that it was a pleasant change.

"Now first of all, you need to have a straight back. Relax the shoulders." She said since the Chief had tensed up at her closeness. "And just so you know, I do not bite Chief Haddock; I promise you that." Elsa said to him when he still looked very uncomfortable.

"No frostbites either?" He asked and Elsa blinked at him before she laughed.

"No promises there." She said and, at her words, the Chief laughed as well and finally relaxed.

"Now, in the waltz it's the man who leads the dance, but we'll come to that. First of all, you need to learn the steps, which are really easy. The first thing we will do…" Elsa told him as she guided him as well as she could and, to her delight, Chief Haddock turned out to be an excellent student. He listened to her carefully and soon he had picked up both the steps and the pace of the waltz.

I didn't take long before Elsa allowed him to start taking the lead as she kept on counting out loud. Sure, in the beginning, Chief Haddock managed to step on her toes a few times, but as they got used at having the other as a partner, it didn't take long before he was leading her over the soft grass with ease.

Staring to trust him a little bit more, Elsa stopped counting out loud and allowed herself to be fully guided by Chief Haddock in the dance. It surprised her how at ease she felt being so close to him, for she usually had difficulty with human contact.

But she supposed it helped a lot that she was dancing with a man who looked at her with mirth instead of hunger, and that he laughed each time he did something wrong instead of trying to get closer to her. His green eyes were open as he looked down at her with smile and Elsa felt how she couldn't help to smile back.

His green eyes were full of life, but they were also deep. They were filled with evidence of the fact that this was a man who, just like herself, knew far too much for his age and held the heaviest of responsibilities on his shoulders. As she looked at him now, Elsa couldn't understand how she hadn't been able to see this before.

The more as she looked at him, the more Chief Haddock's eyes seemed to draw her in. There was a story hidden within them, one she realized she wanted to know. At the realization, Elsa suddenly also became aware of how they had moved closer together during their dance. Chief Haddock's warmth was surrounding her and his hand on her waist was burning through the fabric of her dress.

It was a strange sensation and, to her confusion, Elsa didn't find the feeling repelling at all. But before she had more time to reflect upon it, both she and the Chief missed a step as Chief Haddock managed to step on her toes.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed as he let her go, Elsa taking a step back as she let go of the strange feeling and chuckled at his sheepish expression. Her toes were aching a little, but to be honest, she had been through much worse.

"I think I will survive. So, do you still doubt my dancing skills?" She asked as they continued walking in the direction of the castle.

"I wish I could, but anyone who can teach me to even take two steps in the right direction has to know what they are doing. So I have to admit my defeat." Chief Haddock answered.

"Good! Now you'll also have no excuse the next time a lady asks you for a dance, for I will know that you actually do know how to dance."

"You had that one figured out all along, hadn't you?" Chief Haddock said with a groan.

"Of course I did!" Elsa chuckled as she started walking up the staircase which led into the ballroom, stopping when she noticed that Chief Haddock wasn't following her. "Are you not coming inside?" She asked, the sound of music, laughter and chatter flowing out from the ballroom, reminding her about the reality she had somehow forgotten about out in the gardens.

"I think I will end the night here, Queen Elsa. After all, I don't want to steal your sister's thunder with my newfound dancing skills. This is her night to shine and not mine." Chief Haddock said with a grin.

"I suppose that's the safest option, I wouldn't want to have Anna's wrath aimed at me." Elsa said.

"I would blame it all on my teacher." Hiccup replied.

"And I would deny all involvement. But I will say goodnight then Chief Haddock, I will send a message for you and your friends tomorrow on when to meet up so we can discuss our future partnership." Elsa said, a little more serious once more as she reminded herself of the reason the Chief was here.

"That sounds very good and goodnight to you as well Queen Elsa, thank you for the lesson." The Chief said, nodding his head to her before he walked away.

The moon allowed Elsa to look after him a moment and when he was gone, she turned around and braced herself to meet the guests once more. Clasping her hands together, Elsa could feel how her right hand was slightly warmer than her left, and a smile spread over her face as she walked inside, thinking about how Chief Haddock had managed to find himself a dance partner out in the gardens after all.

What she missed though, was that a certain princess saw her enter the room with that warm smile upon her face. Watching her cousin, Rapunzel felt how an even bigger smile spread over her own face when she looked at Elsa and for the first time, Rapunzel knew for certain that there was some frost left to thaw within Elsa's heart after all.

* * *

 **Oh my, dancing with Hiccup in the moonlight, the feels! And is Elsa's heart still frozen? If it is I think it is slowly starting to thaw or what do you think? But I will tell no spoilers! What I wish to know though is what you thought of the chapter! Tell me, tell me, I love to know!**

 **Also, thinking the wedding was a bit short? No need to worry, as KtyouVsWriting pointed out, Anna and Kristoff is not a traditional couple!**

 **Until next time all of my lovely readers!**

 **/Lysistrate**


	9. Chapter 9

**Mixed emotions! Do I like this or not? I'm not sure, what I do know is that I have made quite a few changes last minute so some sections have not been edited that much, just a small warning.**

 **Now onto another subject and that is that I simply want to thank all of you for being so amazing and sharing your lovely thoughts on what you think of each chapter. I really, really appreciate it and you keep me going! So, much of love to all of you!**

 **Laidyx:** Haha I agree, less wedding more Hiccelsa every day ;) Haha I can understand that you would like one with Toothless as well, then you can have one guy on each side ;)

* * *

9.

"Fredrik?" Hiccup called to the young boy who was standing next to Astrid, watching her take off Stormfly's saddle in the best way. Hearing his name, he quickly sprinted over to Hiccup with an excited smile on his face.

"Yes?" He said as he skidded into a stop in front of Hiccup who gave the young kid the letter he had brought the Vikings that morning.

"Can you take this back with you?" Hiccup said, Fredrik nodding his head and he was just about to turn back to Astrid when Fishlegs' voice was heard calling for him.

"Fredrik, there's someone here looking for you!" He called loudly as he came walking up the hill towards where Hiccup was sitting outside his cottage, both he and young Fredrik turning to see that a young woman was walking behind him.

The woman had to be a maid from castle, for she was dressed in the usual dark purple dress Hiccup had seen on all the female servants. Her dark brown hair was hidden under a white cap and she was looking around the camp with huge eyes. When her eyes landed on Hiccup, he could see how a small blush spread over her cheeks.

"Can I help you?" He asked kindly when she reached them and her eyes immediately fell on him. At his question, he could hear how Astrid snorted loudly from where she was attending to Stormfly and he saw how Fishlegs was fighting back a smile.

"I just… uhm… it was just that I was told to go look for Fredrik, Chief Haddock. Mr. Karlsson is looking for him." She stammered, her eyes darting between Hiccup, the young boy and Toothless who was sitting next to Hiccup. His dragon was looking at the maid with piercing eyes, but he also noticed that the acceptance Toothless had shown towards the Queen was now only indifference.

"No his not, Mr. Karlsson was the one who…" Fredrik began saying with a frown, stopping when he saw harsh look the maid sent him.

"Well, he is now." She snapped as Fishelgs and Astrid did their best not to laugh, for Fredrik had only been in the camp a few minutes. Hiccup himself mostly felt a bit tired, but he still managed to send the girl a small smile.

"It's a good thing then young Fredrik here was just about to return with my reply. You will make sure the letter reaches Queen Elsa?" Hiccup said to the young lad once again and this time Fredrik did a salute to him before leaning over.

"The maids are all acting strange lately, it's something weird going on, so don't think to much off it." He whispered to Hiccup who chuckled, happy that Fredrik apparently was still too young to fully understand everything that went on in the castle.

"Marley, are you coming or not?" Fredrik then asked the young maid who had stayed rooted in place when he turned to leave, still staring not so subtly on Hiccup.

"What? Of course I am, goodbye Chief Haddock." She said with a nervous smile, blushing fiercely when Hiccup wished her a good day, and she rushed after Fredrik who turned around and rolled his eyes to the Vikings behind her back.

"You know, if you are not careful I think you will have a whole armada of ships following us back to Berk." Astrid said to Hiccup, nudging him in the side with a huge smile.

"They just find us interesting because we are Vikings." Hiccup answered.

"I don't know if you have noticed, but even though I have turned out to be pretty popular with the ladies myself, it's not me they are following around." Fishlegs' said with a grin as Hiccup groaned.

"If you two are ganging up on me on this, I will make sure to put you both on cleaning the dragon pits when we get back to Berk." He said with a small glare.

"I would like to see you try, besides who said anything about ganging up on you? We are just stating the facts and we will do the same when we get back to Berk as well." Astrid said with a laugh, she and Fishlegs both grinning as they walked away to put away their dragons' gear.

"At least you are on my side in this aren't you bud?" Hiccup asked Toothless who shook his head.

"Traitor." Hiccup said with a smile as Toothless nudged him in the side, telling his rider that he wanted to get rid off his gear as well.

"Alright, hold on a second mister bossy." Hiccup said as he started to take off the saddle, Toothless happily rolling around on the ground as soon as he was free from it. "Just a few more days and then we will be on our way back home bud." Hiccup told Toothless, feeling a bit of relief at the fact.

Toothless gave his hand a small lick as an answer before lifting from the ground to fly and find Stormfly and Meatlug.

Hiccup picked up of the equipment and went to store it away in the windshield that was attached to his cottage. He had to admit that the time away from Berk had been, and still was, well needed, but he was already starting to feel the need to return. It wasn't that he didn't trust his mother, Gobber and Eret to take care of Berk, it was just that he was only fully comfortable when he had full control himself.

Still the journey to Arendelle had appeared to be turning out much better than any of them had expected. Princess Anna had been just as open here as she had been on Berk and all three Vikings had found themselves thinking of both Rapunzel and Eugene as friends. Even Queen Elsa had turned out to be very different from what Hiccup had imagined.

Thinking back to last night, Hiccup once again couldn't help to feel some wonder at how extremely easy it turned out to be to interact with the Queen as soon as she allowed him in. It was clear that she was highly intelligent, her mind quick and calculating, and Hiccup had gotten the feeling that she had enjoyed their battle of wits just as much as he had. For Hiccup, it had been a very welcome change that anyone, for once, had not only been able to follow his train of thought, but come with new comebacks easily as well.

On Berk, most of his people had a tendency of either not understanding him or taking things far too literally. Queen Elsa on the other hand had no problem at all to keep up with him and she challenged him in a new way he found both very entertaining and very intriguing.

It also pleased him that the Queen had chosen to let him in, even if it had been just a little bit. If it had anything to do with the conversation they had shared when he had introduced her to the dragons he didn't know, but he felt a little privileged that she had chosen to let him when it came to her powers. He had felt the Queen was not comfortable with the subject, which had surprised him slightly, but he had also noticed how she had not seemed to regret her choice afterwards.

One other thing that had surprised him as well had been her offer to give him a dance lesson. At first, he really had thought she was just trying to trick him, but when she had insisted that she wasn't joking he had soon found out that he liked the more playful side of her, for he had not believed there was once.

In the end she had been a very good, very professional teacher and Hiccup had to admit that he was a little happy that he had accepted the challenge since it had been quite entertaining for both of them. The memory of her cold skin though, was still lingering in his mind for her strange temperature clashed with his own in a way that sent cold tingles into his skin. It had been the same the first time he had shook her hand, but then he hadn't thought much about it, thinking she had just been cold that day.

Now though, he had come to draw the conclusion that the Queen's power had to affect her body temperature, making her colder than a human normally was.

His decision not follow her into the party once more was one he had pondered over afterwards. In the moment he had felt how he needed some time alone to think over everything that Queen Elsa had told him, but there had also been something else. He had felt that he almost needed some room to breathe, as if he had been lost in a moment outside of the real world during the time they had spent in the gardens.

When he finally had returned back to camp, Astrid had already been there, telling him how she had felt that she needed some distance from the political life of Arendelle. Joining her by the fire she had built, they had been up for another hour, talking about all of the impressions they had gotten since arriving to this strange land. But, as if by some silent agreement, they had never more than a few times mentioned the Queen at all.

"Hiccup, are you ready to go already?" Astrid shouted at him from the other side of the windshield and Hiccup smiled as he walked out and saw her standing there waiting for him, her axe over her shoulder and a smile on her face.

"A little impatient Astrid? Where is Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked as the man in question appeared.

"I am here, wait for me guys!" He called, running down the hill from his cottage with his own axe and maze with him.

"Finally! You two have no idea how much I have wanted to bury my axe into something since we got here." Astrid said as they started to walk down towards the castle grounds once more, their destination the guards training area.

* * *

When Elsa woke up in the morning, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep, but after a few moments of mentally hitting herself she finally managed to get out of bed, not even bothering to call on Brigitte since she saw an opportunity to cherish a few moments of solitude after having been surrounded by people for the last few weeks.

With quick hands she braided her hair in her usual braid before putting on one of her simpler dresses that had the beautiful teal color she loved very much. With one last look to see that she was presentable she then left her room to go and have breakfast.

When she reached the dining room, she was a little surprised to see that she was the last to join in, Rapunzel, Eugene, Anna and Kristoff already sitting by the table eating and chatting lively. Walking over to Mr. Karlsson, she gave him a letter to send to Chief Haddock before sitting down.

"I didn't expect to see you two up so early this morning even though you disappeared early last night; have the wedded bliss already been chased away?" Elsa asked with a smile towards her sister and new brother who were both glowing as they smiled back at her, completely unfazed by her teasing.

"Actually, I think it is even better today." Anna said, looking at Kristoff with glowing eyes as Elsa did her best to not roll her eyes at the couple, knowing she would have to live with this for quite some time to come.

"And it should be! The ceremony and the feast was beautiful last night, and the ball was simply wonderful! I heard so many praising it!" Rapunzel said with a huge smile as Eugene sent her a curious look. It was not that he was surprised that Rapunzel complemented the wedding, it was the fact that she was looking at Elsa while doing so.

"Oh how lovey to hear! I am so happy nothing went wrong! I mean it would have been just our luck for a disaster to happen." Anna said.

"Especially considering someone is accident prone." Kristoff said with a smile in Anna's direction that caused the rest of the table to laugh as she sent him a small glare.

"I am not accident prone! I simply have a tendency of misjudging the areas around me." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"In other words prone to cause accidents." Eugene said, Anna throwing her napkin at him. It didn't reach him though, and only managed to hit his glass instead. Luckily there was nothing left in it.

"What did I say?" Kristoff laughed putting hos arm around Anna as she pouted.

"I'm just happy everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, despite the somewhat crowded ballroom." Anna said, smiling again.

"Yes, I actually think _everyone_ did enjoy themselves last night, at least I did not see anyone who was looking gloom." Rapunzel said as she caught Anna's eyes across the table, nodding her head in Elsa's direction as Anna gasped quietly and gave her cousin an excited smile when she figured out what she was insinuating.

Before either one had the chance to enquire deeper though, the doors opened as a young boy walked in, his face extremely nervous as he sent a look at Mr. Karlsson. The elderly butler gave the kid a slightly scolding look, but nodded to him and the young boy walked up to Elsa and gave her a badly folded letter with shaking hands.

"A letter for you, your majesty." He said with small voice as Elsa sent him a warm smile.

"Thank you Fredrik, that was really fast." She said and the young boy bowed before rushing out of the room.

As Elsa opened the letter and read it, Eugene and Kristoff shared a confused look over the table, for their wives had suddenly turned very quiet and was watching Elsa's behavior intensely. They got even more suspicious when both women looked disappointed at the simply pleased look that appeared on Elsa's face as she put the letter down.

Looking up, Elsa finally noticed their odd behavior.

"You know, I thought I would be happy when you two stopped looking at your husbands all the time, but now I only wish you would do it again." She said with a slighty annoyed expression.

"Who was the letter from? Anna asked as a look of understanding appeared in Elsa's ice blue eyes and an amused smile spread over her face.

"You usually never ask that." She answered, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I'm just… curios?" Anna said, sharing a look with Rapunzel across the table.

"Then why do I get the feeling that you and Rapunzel are simply asking because you wish that it's a certain Chief who sent it?" At their sheepish looks, Kristoff and Eugene both sent Elsa a grin, finding it quite funny how fast she had figured out the two other women.

"So was it?" Rapunzel asked excitedly.

"It was, but before you start cheering, he simply replied that he and his friends will attend the meeting about our future partnership later today."

At her reply, Anna looked a little disappointed while Rapunzel got an innocent look on her face.

"Oh… so he didn't mention anything about last night?" She asked casually as the whole room turned silent, except for a coughing Kristoff who had taken a sip of water just as Rapunzel spoke.

"What?" Both sisters then exclaimed in perfect sync, though Elsa was calm and sounded slightly confused while Anna gave a shout, grinning from ear to ear as she clasped her hands together.

"Wait, slow down!" Elsa said to her sister as Anna turned to her and Elsa could see that she was about to burst into a million questions. "What are you talking about?" She asked Rapunzel, sounding just as confused as she felt.

"I saw you two disappearing into the gardens last night. Sure you didn't leave together but you were both gone for quite some time and I saw when you returned together, so don't try to tell me that you didn't meet!" She said, her eyes glowing while Anna gave a squeal. Eugene and Kristoff both stayed silent, having decided that staying out of the conversation was the safest option for now.

To everyone's surprise though, Elsa didn't get upset, instead she started laughing.

"I wasn't going to, but I am sorry to break your bubble for it was hardly as romantic as you both seem to think. Chief Haddock and I both needed to get away from the party and we ran into each other in the gardens. Then, like any other normal person, we greeted each other and we talked." Elsa said simply, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Oh…" The two women said while Kristoff and Eugene shared a look of relief at the fact that it all seemed to be over.

"So you two just talked for over one and a half hour?" Rapunzel asked, Kristoff noticing how a mischievous look appeared in Elsa's eyes and he put down his fork once again, knowing it was the safest option for now.

"Don't be ridiculous, I taught him to dance." Elsa said casually and this time, it was Eugene's turn to cough loudly as he had taken a bite of his food. At her words Mr. Karlsson looked shocked and the footmen smiled happily at each other, hardly believing their luck to hear all the gossip.

"But you never dance with anyone!" Anna exclaimed with surprise, staring at Elsa with disbelief as her sister sent her tired look.

"No I don't, and it's because I find the whole ordeal to be incredibly silly. Also I have no need for rumors to start flying around that I will marry every man I dance with." At this Elsa threw a harsh look at the footmen who stopped smiling and swallowed nervously.

"Now, however, it turned out that my distaste of dancing had been pointed out to Chief Haddock by someone" Here Elsa sent Rapunzel a pointed look. "And so when he doubted my ability to dance, and admitted that he himself didn't know how to, I choose to deafened my honor and do the right thing by teaching him some basic steps. After all, it was stupid of me to forget that the Vikings have no idea how to dance here. So the whole ordeal was highly platonic and not at all interesting I can assure you." Elsa said, her voice clearly telling everyone that this was the end of the conversation.

At her explanation Mr. Karlsson looked very pleased while Anna and Rapunzel felt a little disappointed, but no matter what Elsa said, she _had_ danced with Chief Hiccup and that was something out of the ordinary, no matter how much she tried to pretend that it wasn't.

Any further enquiries were interrupted though when a young servant rushed into the room with a stressed look and panted out: "Your majesty, you have to come with me!"

* * *

"She is amazing!"

"Outstanding!"

Hiccup smiled as the guards, young and old, stared in awe at Astrid who was facing one of the men that had volunteered to train with her, being the first not to underestimate her.

The first three men who had challenged her earlier had all been cautious about fighting a woman, it didn't really matter if she was a Viking or not, but they had all quickly learned that they were no match for her at all as she had brought them down a matter of seconds. Now, for the first time, she was facing some opposition and Hiccup could see how much she enjoyed the fight. Watching her, it was clear she was fully in her element, and she looked like a Valkyrie who had just stepped down from Valhalla.

Fishlegs had also been practicing with some of the guards, and even though he was not as agile or quick as Astrid, he had still easily defeated his opponents, knowing how to turn his force and weight around to give him the upper hand.

Watching his friends face off the guards, Hiccup had noticed how incredibly clear it was that they had been trained to master all of their strengths from the day they had learned to walk, for no matter how skilled the guards were, the Vikings were a step ahead, using every weapon with the same extreme skill. But then again, Vikings were not known to be some of the most feared and skilled warriors in the world for nothing.

With a howl of pain, the guard Astrid was facing fell to the ground, for she had gotten in a full hit with the training swords they used so no one would get seriously injured. At her victory, the men who had been watching the fight started clapping their hands at the performance.

"I must admit; you are an extremely skilled fighter Astrid." Her opponent said as she helped him up from the ground.

"I would not live up to my name if I wasn't." She grinned back at him before the two shook hands and parted, Astrid walking over to where Fishlegs and Hiccup was standing.

"You okay? He got in a pretty bad hit on your arm." Hiccup said, taking a careful hold of Astrid's arm to inspect the spot where a new bruise was already forming.

"Will I survive great Chief?" Astrid smiled at him warmly when he let go.

"I do not think they will not accept you into Valhalla just yet." Hiccup smiled back at her.

"So, Fishlegs are you ready to show these softies how real Vikings fight?" Astrid asked their friend with an excited look in her eyes.

"If you promise not to send me to the healer again this time." Fishlegs answered nervously.

"No can do!" Astrid smiled before picking up her axe and a shield, walking back into the training area.

"At least I will know I died protecting my honor. Tell Meatlug I love her!" Fishlegs sighed to Hiccup before following Astrid, the two taking their positions opposite of each other.

When the fight began, Hiccup and everyone watching could immediately see that this fight was on a much higher level than any of the ones before. Each blow was calculated, full of force and brought something to the battle as his friends wielded their weapons as if they had been born with them in their hands.

As the fight went on, Hiccup noticed how more and more men started to gather around to watch the fight. One young man who walked up right next to Hiccup though eyed the battle with an almost bored expression. He was dressed in fine cloths, his hair was combed back and he looked as if he just had smelt something disgusting.

In other words, it was clear he was a nobleman and not a guard.

"So, the great Viking Chief allows women to fight his battles." The man suddenly said with a mocking glare in Hiccup's direction, Hiccup looking at the man with disinterest. He was a head shorter than himself, but of a bulkier build.

But then again, most men were.

"You are free to try and stop her." He simply replied, turning his eyes back to the battle just as Astrid got a hold of Fishleg's shield and forced it from him. The man next to him looked a little startled at her fierceness but quickly hid it behind a new scowl.

"Still, I have not seen you out here. Are you simply trying to show off your little companions' strength or are you too afraid to fight yourself?" He said, the challenge in his voice clear.

"I never thought the day would come when anyone called Fishlegs small, too bad he was not able to hear it, you would have made his day." Hiccup only responded dryly, getting some slight satisfaction as the other man got an irritated look on his face.

"You didn't answer the question." He snapped.

"Because I have no need or desire to sway your view, you are free to believe what you wish to believe." Hiccup simply said, for he truly didn't care the slightest what this man thought of him, it was not as if Hiccup was ever going to see him again.

"What kind of Viking are you? I never thought I'd hear a Viking turn down a fight, especially not a Chief. If you ask me, you appear to be a disgrace to your own people." The man said mockingly, failing to notice how Hiccup's eyes suddenly turned darker.

Not so different words had been spoken by his dad when he was fifteen, and even though Stoick many times afterwards had made it clear that he had been very proud to call Hiccup his son, the words still managed to bring back the dark and painful memories of the shame Hiccup had felt in that moment, especially since Hiccup more and more often after his dad's death had wondered if he still would have been proud over his son.

"That is your opinion." Hiccup replied shortly though, doing his best to sound unaffected by the man's words as he saw how Astrid won the fight. She looked over at him with a huge smile that he only returned half heartedly, signaling to her that he was leaving. In return she sent him a confused look as her eyes darted between him and the man next to him, but she nodded in his direction, telling him that she would ask about it later.

As Hiccup turned to leave though, the other man suddenly placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. At the contact, Hiccup felt how his whole body tensed up, the irritation and anger beginning to rise within. Looking back at the other man, he quickly let go of Hiccup's shoulder, seeing the dark look Hiccup sent his way, but surprisingly, or foolishly, he still stood his ground.

"You cannot talk yourself out of this situation, I demand to face you in a duel!" He exclaimed, looking very determined. "I have heard all about the Vikings skill and I am the best fighter in my land." He said, a proud look spreading over his face.

"I will not fight you so you can get your glory." Hiccup said, his irritation finally seeping into his voice and he noticed that the people around them were starting to notice the tension between him and the other man. In the corner of his eye, Hiccup noted how the captain named Kai said something to a young boy and he saw how the kid threw them a look before running into the castle as fast as he could.

"Well won't you look at that, a Viking turning down a challenge." The man in front of him said, his face once more mocking with an evil smirk. "I suppose all the stories about the proud tribes of the north are only false then? That the bravest Vikings aren't really the Chiefs? How did a coward like you even become Chief? I can hardly think any father would have wanted you to take his place, so what did you do, kill him?"

For a moment, the young man almost looked proud of his own insult, but his expression soon turned uncertain and he paled slightly when he saw how the Chief's face had turned dark. His eyes were burning with anger and there was an aura around him that seemed to make the air turn heavy. Suddenly feeling very unsecure, the man swallowed nervously, wondering if he had not just made a mistake.

Inside, Hiccup felt how his body was burning with the raging darkness that was telling him to simply silence the boy for his insults. In front of his eyes, he saw his dad throw himself between himself and Toothless and the anger mixed with the pain and quilt that started to tear into his heart as knives. The young man in front of him had opened up all the wounds he had so carefully closed and the darkness, that promised him a place where he didn't have to feel anything, demanded that the man should punished for undoing his hard work.

An angry cry up in the sky brought Hiccup out of his dark thoughts though as everyone else looked up in fright at the black dragon that shoot down towards the ground and landed growling next to him.

Toothless.

At the impact the ground shook, but Hiccup was completely unfazed by the fact, placing his hand on his friend's side, the storm within calming as his more rational side returned. Still, the man in front of him had far overstepped a line, and even though he hated confrontation, Hiccup had had enough.

"I assume you have not met my dragon, Toothless say hallo." He said with a harsh expression as Toothless gave a roar that made the nobleman to cry out in fright and take a few hasty steps backwards. He didn't get far though, for he managed to trip over his own feet and he fell to ground, looking up at Hiccup and Toothless with a pale face. "Now what were you saying before?" Hiccup asked.

"I… I…" The man stuttered, his eyes fixed with fear on Toothless who was still growling at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" The ice cold voice broke through the tension as a whip, causing everyone to turn towards the place where the Queen had emerged. Her hair was glowing in the sunlight, but her eyes was as cold and hard as the ice she could control as she took in the scene before her. Behind her, Hiccup could see that the rest of the royal family was staring at the scene with huge eyes and slightly scared expressions.

"I do hope there is a _very_ good explanation for what is going on here!" Queen Elsa snapped, her voice icy cold as she stared with piercing eyes at Hiccup and Toothless, Hiccup realizing what the scene must look like to an outsider.

Thankfully the captain, who had sent the young lad for the Queen, rushed to her side. Hiccup could see how he whispered to her, her eyes travelling between Hiccup, Toothless and the man on the ground as they only turned colder.

With a nod, she started walking towards them and for each step she took the warmth in the air seemed to be sucked away, dropping more and more the closer she got. As a response, Toothless moved closer to Hiccup, his eyes locked onto the Queen, but there was only anticipation within them.

When Queen Elsa reached them, she looked down at the man on the ground with such disgust that even the bravest of men would have cowered under her gaze and Hiccup felt how bit more of the darkness fell away, for he knew she had been told what had happened and he could see that she was not going to go easy on the man on the ground.

"Get up!" She said harshly him and he scrambled off the ground as he looked at her with a frightened expression, Queen Elsa giving him a last frosty glare before turning her attention to Hiccup.

As she looked at him, Elsa for the first time felt a little cautious of the man in front of her. The dark expression on his face was a huge contrast to the kind man she had started to get to know. But she could also see that behind the anger, there was something else, something she recognized for she had seen it in her own eyes so many times.

It was the look of a person torn, a person who was battling with himself, and even though Elsa felt a strange compassion and worry for the Chief, she knew this was not the time to address the subject.

"My captain has told me what just took place here and I am sorry for the high offense Prince Harlod have placed upon you Chief Haddock." She said instead, happy that as he looked at her and gave her a small nod, the turmoil in his eyes softened somewhat.

"As for you, sir." She spat out, her anger returning with full force as she turned back to the Prince who was looking at her with fright. "I thought that considering the history with your brother you would have more respect towards me and my guests! I will talk to your oldest brother, King Herman, about your behavior and I expect you to be gone before evening falls." She said, her voice once more cold and harsh.

"But Queen Elsa…" Prince Harold began, a slightly distressed and pleading look upon his face.

"I will not hear it! Your brother was charged for trying not only to overthrow me, but also to murder both me and the princess. He was to be thrown in a dungeon to root when you and your brothers begged me to return him to you, which I kindly did! Now you come here and accuse one of my most valued partners of the highest sin possible and you expect me to not take action?! You should be thanking me for simply sending you back home. Now, I want you out of my kingdom!"

Elsa had not once shouted or raised her voice, but the threatening tone had caused shivers of cold to run down the spines of everyone listening as an uneasy feeling had spread within them since the air seemed to sparkle around the Queen. When, at her last words, frost also spread out like a blast on the ground underneath her feet, they all felt how incredibly grateful they were that her anger wasn't directed at them.

There was one person though who fully ignored all of this, and she was ready to make it known that she wasn't satisfied with the outcome at all.

"Wait! You can't just let him leave!" Astrid shouted, finally breaking free from Fishlegs who had held her back, leaving him with a bloody nose as she ran over the field and came into a stop next to Hiccup, a furious expression on her face. "Do you have any idea what that slimy little scum said?" She shouted at the Queen who looked completely unfazed by her glare.

"I think I know enough." She said coldly and as he looked at them, Hiccup couldn't help to see how different the two women's anger showed itself. While Astrid was like a blazing fire, her blue eyes burning with anger, Queen Elsa was cold and collected, her ice blue eyes containing a storm that looked under control, but if unleashed, could devour anything in a matter of seconds.

They were, in that moment, complete opposites as they stood facing each other.

"Then you have to agree that I have the right to challenge him!" Astrid growled, taking step closer to the Queen, her blazing eyes turning to Prince Harold. "He wanted to fight a Viking and he has highly offended my Chief's honor, I demand to beat the hell out of him!" At her harsh words many of the guards smiled approvingly, still a little surprised at her fierceness.

At first, Hiccup thought that the Queen would turn down Astrid's request, but as he looked at her, he saw how her calculating eyes turned approving and she sent Astrid a small smile. It became even more strange when Astrid grinned back. It was as if the two women were bonding over their equal distaste for the man in front of them.

Eugene was right, women was a mystery he would never understand.

"I see no reason not to fulfill that wish, after all you did wish to fight." Queen Elsa finally said, directing the last part to Prince Harold who still looked frightened, especially when he saw the cold smiles on the two women's faces and the challenge in their eyes.

"I…" The Prince said, his eyes darting between the two women as he looked highly stressed.

The only one Hiccup had eyes for though was Astrid. He knew she could hold herself against anyone much better than himself, but when he looked at her, the memory of his father flashed before his eyes and he felt how a slight amount of panic rose within that anything should happen to her because of him as well. If it did, he would never be able to live with himself.

So no matter how much a better fighter she was, and despite knowing she would never be beaten, Hiccup knew this was a fight he had to take himself, no matter how much he hated violence.

"No need to look so scared, you will fight me just as you wished." He therefore said, his voice filled with the pure distaste he felt for the Prince.

At his declaration, Astrid turned her anger towards him.

"But Hiccup, I want to kill him!" She complained as she sent a look of pure hate at the Prince who swallowed nervously.

"Well, I will simply have to not kill him then." Hiccup answered simply, grinning when he saw the smile that spread over Astrid's face.

"Go get him Chief." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, something she always did when she wanted to wish him good luck. The action causing many of the spectators to whistle loudly at the pair.

Someone who was also watching the couple closely, feeling a sting of annoyance at the public display of affection, was Elsa. She had noticed that Chief Haddock and Astrid appeared to be very close, but she had not gotten any indication before that there could be anything between them and it bothered her that she had missed that it might be.

"Toothless, you stay here bud." Chief Haddock told his dragon, who grumbled in response and sat down next to Astrid, a calm look in his green eyes. Fishlegs gave the Chief's shoulder a squeeze of support, Chief Haddock nodding in reply, before the Viking walked out into the training area with an unreadable expression.

Elsa, wanting to see what would happen, took her place next to the Vikings, feeling slightly worried when she saw that Chief Haddock didn't pick up a weapon to defend himself with.

"He is not going to have a weapon?" Elsa asked Astrid, who sent her a small smile.

"He will not need a weapon to defeat that whimp." She answered with conviction, but Elsa could see that her blue eyes was a little worried as well when she looked at the Chief.

"You are not picking up a weapon?" Prince Harold shouted to the Chief when, he too, noticed that Chief Haddock had not picked up a weapon. The only response he got though was an almost bored expression from the Viking.

Looking at the Chief, Prince Harold felt how his unease grew at the other man's emotionless expression and at the fact that he had the same eye color as the bloody dragon did. Realizing that the Chief was not going to make the first move, Prince Harold decided that he had enough and he charged with full force.

As the other man approached, the Chief simply stood rooted in the same place. But when the Prince readied himself for the impact with a victorious expression on his face, Hiccup took a step to the side, evading the charge with ease as the Prince, who had expected an impact, lost his footing. In any other case, the Prince probably would have regained his balance, but this time Hiccup spun around, using the quick reflexes he had developed over the years working with dragons, and kicked the man in the back with his metal leg.

At the added force, Prince Harold could in no way evade the fall and he dropped his sword as he tried to lessen the blow with his hands. Upon his impact with the ground, he felt a sharp piercing pain in his right wrist as something snapped and he gave out a cry of pain.

Around the whole training area, the silence was so thick that you could have cut it with a knife as everyone tried to understand what had just happened. Looking around, Hiccup saw that his friends were the only ones who weren't looking at him with surprise, instead they were grinning while Toothless had a pleased look on his face.

But there was one more who was not looking at him with surprise nor was she looking at him with a smile. Queen Elsa's expression was instead simply calculating and slightly guarded, her ice blue eyes completely void of any emotion. Seeing that her mask was back on, Hiccup was a little surprised at much he had already come to dislike it, but he didn't put much thought into it as he looked down at the Prince who was laying by his feet with a look of utter defeat on his face.

Feeling no amount of compassion for the other man, Hiccup still picked up his sword and offered him his hand to help him stand. With a pained expression, the Prince accepted his offer, but as he tried to let go, Hiccup increased his hold on the other man's hand as he leaned in close.

"And just to set things straight since you asked, my father did die and it was I who killed him." Hiccup said in a low voice to the other man before releasing him, the Prince turning ghostly pale with fear as he only stared after Hiccup as he went to join his friends, Astrid greeting him with a huge smile, a punch on the arm and a new kiss on the cheek while Fishleg's patted him in the back.

After that, it only took only a matter of seconds before they were all surrounded by guards who were praising them for their skills and tried to talk them into training them. At the attention, Hiccup could not help to feel very uneasy, knowing that he was nowhere near the worrier the guards seemed to believe he was, many of the younger men were even looking at him with awe.

"I do think my guests deserves some room to breathe gentlemen." Queen Elsa's voice suddenly was heard behind them and even though it was powerful, it had once again turned warm, the cold nowhere to be found. Turning around, Hiccup was happy to see that Queen Elsa's harsh mask had once again fallen away and that she was looking at him with… relief?

With a last few words of compliment, the guards leaved the Vikings alone, only the Queen and her captain staying with them.

"I am happy that you are still in one-piece Chief Haddock, it was about time someone put Prince Harold in place, he has been up on his high horses for far too long." She said to him, her eyes warm as they looked at him.

"I'm happy that I could could help with something then, Queen Elsa." Hiccup replied, happy that the Queen seemed to understand the joke for she smiled at him with mirth.

"Why did he want to fight us though? I mean, I can understand that one would like to test his skills, but to insist on it? And why insist on Hiccup when he could have just challenged me or Astrid instead?" Fishlegs asked, Queen Elsa's expression turning thoughtful before she gestured for them to follow.

"This is not the right place to discuss this, besides I have someone I want you to meet, follow me." She said, the three Vikings looking at each other before following the Queen, the captain joining them as well.

* * *

 **I am personally not 100 % pleased with this chapter, but sometimes you never are and I think this is the best it can become. So what do you think about Hiccup's darker side? And what about Elsa being in what I think we now can call denial of the fact that she might be a** **ttracted to our favorite Viking?**

 **Now onto darkness within, myself had a period in my life when I pretty much judged everything I did extremely harshly and I remember so well how easy it was to just retreat into myself and try to push everyone around me away, it's really is like a dark hole. Thankfully I got over it and today I have come to accept and love who I am. Remember, the ones who often judge us the hardest are ourselves and no matter what anyone says, you are always enough. As the talented Sierra Boggess says:**

 **"You are enough, you are so enough, it is unbelievable how enough you are!"**

 **Now onto a happier note: have you seen that I published a one-shot with our favorite couple named "So - did that just happen?". If not, go and read it! That way you will have something to do between the updates of Like growing frost! ;)**

 **Until next time dear readers!  
/Lysistrate**


	10. Chapter 10

**I really should be studying to my midterms and still I find myself updating once again! Yep, you guys are lucky, but you are all so amazing that you deserve it! When it comes to my grade in International private law... well we'll just have to see about that, but I have a week to go so wish me luck!**

 **So this little chap is a breather for what is to come. A cute little breather where our Vikings finally will meet some trolls!**

 **Laidyx:** No I don't think they have been hugged a lot, we will simply have to send them some mental ones and maybe the other 10 brothers will behave haha! Also I am happy you liked Hiccup's darker side, just as you say they don't really go away and being reminded of them can cause old wounds to reopen. Haha, so you liked the Astrid/Elsa bonding? That was actually how I bonded with one of my best friends here at uni, we sat next to each other in class and just started spewing over this guy. Now two years later we kind of thank him for he gave us our friendship without even knowing it haha.

Also to your review for my one-shot: Really glad you liked it, Merida and Jack really would make them suffer! ;) And of course I had to throw in a polar bear reference, I am a swede hahaha! As for the front door, it was only Astrid who drew that conclusion, but it certainly was something, perhaps I should turn it into a two-shot?

 **Guest:** Thank you so much! Hope you will like this chapter!

 **Creeves59:** Your review popped up just when I was about to publish this so I had the time to add a response haha! Thank you so much for your review! Hahah oh my, poor Mrs. Tomson and Mr. Karlsson, maybe a ship really will be following Hiccup to Berk just as Astrid said ;) I really hope you will like this chapter as well.

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10.

"So he challenged us for glory?" Fishlegs asked, Queen Elsa nodding her head in response.

She had led them away from the castle into the forest and it wasn't until they could no longer see it that she had broken the silence and told the Vikings the most plausible reasoning behind the Prince's action.

"He did, even though Vikings have not been seen in these lands for a few hundred years, we have not forgotten about you. Our ancestors raided the southern kingdoms and until today they, just as us here in Arendelle, still tell stories about the fierce, skilled and ruthless warriors who could attack with the rage of ten men."

"The Berserks." Astrid filled in and Queen Elsa nodded her head, Hiccup noticing that the edge that earlier had been present in Astrid's voice when she spoke to the Queen was now gone.

"Exactly. I don't think anyone really knows what caused your ancestors to leave these lands and mine to stay, but we have not had any interaction with Vikings for a few hundred years. All we had to go on before we began our trade and you three arrived were the old stories kept alive since we knew you still lived far up in the northern seas."

"Stories that are true." Astrid said with a grin as Queen Elsa smiled back at her.

"After today I don't think anyone would dare to doubt them." She replies, her expression turning serious once more. "What you also need to know is that Prince Harold saw his chance to win a great achievement today. I know he has been looking for a wife, and to stand out amongst twelve brothers you need all the glory you can possibly get, meaning that beating simply a Viking was enough. He wanted to defeat a Chief and since he is just an arrogant child who has been spoiled rotten from birth he has never learned that you cannot get everything you want. Like the majority of the noblemen in our culture." Queen Elsa muttered the last part.

"Well, I'm glad to hear I am not the only one who finds them unbearable." Astrid replied, the two women sharing a look before they both started laughing as Hiccup shook his head, how they could go from barely speaking a word to joking with each other was beyond him.

As they kept on walking, he noticed how the forest started to thicken and that the air was slowly becoming lighter and colder.

"Where exactly are you taking us Queen Elsa?" He asked, speaking for the first time since they had left the castle.

"Rapunzel told me that Vikings have a great fascination for trolls, and since they are now technically a part of my own family, I thought that you would like an opportunity to meet them. Also, I think there was a problem with left socks that you wanted to solve?" At the last part, she looked at them all with slight confusion as they smiled back at her.

"That is correct your majesty, it's something that have bothered our people a long time." Fishlegs answered.

"I see." The Queen said, but Hiccup could see that she still found the problem to be an utterly strange one.

"What about the meeting today?" Hiccup asked, Queen Elsa looking at him for the first time since they had left the arena. Somehow, he knew she had known that he had wanted to be left alone with his thoughts and now, when she looked at him closely before her ice blue eyes lit up slightly, he wondered just how much she had seen of his inner turmoil. It actually disturbed him a little that she had gotten so good at reading him in such a short amount of time.

"Well, while you were all surrounded by your newest fans I got a handful of messages that begged me to postpone the meeting one day because of massive headaches. Considering the excitement earlier I took the liberty of accepting the poor men's requests. I hope that was okay with you?" She asked, Hiccup not having the chance to answer as Fishlegs looked at her with huge eyes.

"We have the opportunity to see the most elusive creatures that has ever existed, that have been in almost every tale we have ever heard and ask them questions about all their mysteries and their life, I take it upon me to say that we are not complaining." He answered excitedly.

"I'm happy that I made the right decision then." Queen Elsa replied with an easy smile, though Hiccup knew it could not be the whole truth, for he knew that had the Queen demanded that the meeting would have taken place that day every single man on her council would have shown up. No, somewhere it seemed she had wanted to give them some room to breathe and and he felt a huge amount of gratitude towards her for her thoughtfulness.

Sending her a grateful look, she smiled back at him warmly and knew he had gotten the message across.

"So how far up into the mountains is this place?" Astrid suddenly asked, Queen Elsa turning to her.

"It's not too far up, but it will take some time. Princess Anna, Kristoff and my cousins will join us in a little while with horses, I spoke to them before we left and they insisted on coming along." Queen Elsa replied, the Vikings all looking at each other.

"Well, you can tell them that it is completely unnecessary to bring horses for us." Astrid said.

"It's a bit too far to walk I am afraid." Queen Elsa said, looking a little uncertain if she had understood Astrid correctly.

"We aren't going to walk." Astrid replied with a grin before she each gave a strange cry. At the sound, the Queen and captain shared a look, but they stayed quiet as they looked around, waiting to see what would happen.

"Are we waiting for something?" The captain finally spoke up.

"You'll see." Astrid said, still with a smile on her face as the sound of beating wings could be heard above, Stormfly and Meatlug approaching them before landing on the ground as they skillfully avoided the trees.

"Hi girl." Astrid greeted her dragon as she ran over to Stormfly and threw her arms around her dragon while Fishlegs and Meatlug had a similar greeting, though with a few more words of affection. Queen Elsa watched the reunion with a small smile while her captain looked at the dragons with huge eyes and swallowed nervously.

"I suppose dragons will do instead of horses, you will simply have to keep track of us on the ground." Queen Elsa said.

"Didn't you hear what I said? I said "we". You two are travelling with us." Astrid said a smug, challenging look in her eyes and when he saw it, Hiccup knew she still hadn't fully accepted the Queen just yet, the fact actually making the world seem a bit more normal again.

Queen Elsa on the other hand was looking at them with disbelief, her eyes darting between Hiccup and Astrid as if to see if they were joking.

"I am sorry, what?" She finally said, which caused the Vikings to chuckle a little, having never really seen the Queen speechless before.

"You didn't think dragons could carry only one person did you?" Hiccup asked her and the Queen looked at Toothless, the dragon looking a little smug as he looked back at her.

"I don't know; I mean…" She said, trailing off before her disbelief began to be replaced with excitement. "But I have no way to contact Princess Anna that they will not have to bring the extra horses."

"Queen Elsa, you are not really considering this!" Her captain said, looking at her with slightly panicked eyes.

"We can send Sharpshot with a message if you want to, he will just be happy to have something to." Hiccup suggested and he saw how the Queen thought this over for a second before an excited, but also slightly nervous, smile spread over her face.

"I suppose, I mean, how many chances will one get to fly right?" She asked, her eyes shining as her captain now stared at her with horror.

"Queen Elsa, you cannot… the safety!" He exclaimed as she only looked at him with an amused expression.

"That's why you will be with us the whole time Kai. Also, I trust in Chief Haddock's and his friends' judgment. But if you do not wish to come with us you can always join princess Anna and travel with her when their group arrive, I will not force you." At her words, the poor man only opened and closed his mouth a few times, knowing he had lost this battle before it even began for he could never leave his Queen alone with the Vikings, it was unthinkable.

At his look of defeat, Queen Elsa laughed and gave the man a compassionate pat on the shoulder before she turned to the smiling Vikings.

"So, how do we do this?" She asked excitingly.

"I think it will be best if your captain fly with Fishlug and Meatlug, she is the friendliest of all the dragons and the most… stable flyer." Hiccup answered, thinking about how both Toothless and Stormfly at times could be a little more acrobatic than the much bigger Gronckle.

"As for you, Queen Elsa, I think it will probably be best if you fly with Astrid and… Toothless?"

As he spoke, Toothless had left his place next to Hiccup and walked over to the Queen, sitting down next to her as he pushed his head under her hand so it rested on his neck, sending Hiccup a look that clearly stated that he thought the Queen should ride with them.

"Uhm… well… I guess it's an option to listen to my apparently mental dragon as well." Hiccup added, glaring at Toothless who actually glared back and Hiccup for once actually questioned his dragon's sanity.

Looking at the culture here in Arendelle, Hiccup had not even considered the possibility that Queen Elsa should fly with him. Sure it would have been the most natural decision considering she had hit off so well with Toothless, but they were not on Berk and here in Arendelle the simple suggestion could've easily given the Queen the impression that he had some ulterior motives towards her, when he really hadn't.

And if she started to think that he did, things would probably become extremely awkward, just like the silence that had fallen over the small group since Toothless had somehow managed to suggest what Hiccup had deemed as highly stupid.

Elsa on the hand, ignored the awkward feeling as she looked down at Toothless who was looking up at her with his huge green, kind eyes. To be honest, she knew that there shouldn't even be anything to think about. That she was even considering flying with the Chief instead of a woman was pretty much a scandal in its own, but that didn't change the fact that Elsa didn't fully trust Astrid yet and the Chief… well she had to admit that she had actually begun to trust him.

Also there had never been the slightest inkling that he had wanted anything more than there to be a mutual friendship between them, last night proving that if anything. Also, she had started to fall in love with the cute Night Fury who was so full of character he put some humans to shame. So if Toothless was willing to take her of his own will, she really saw no reason to doubt his decision.

"I think I will have to trust the dragon on this one." She therefore said, Toothless looking very pleased with her decision while Kai started stuttering next to her.

"You know that you really are free to choose, Toothless simply have a tendency of being a bit bossy." Chief Haddock said to her and she could see the honesty in his green eyes, only making her even more sure she had made the right decision.

"I know, although I will of course do what you deem the best, you all are the experts after all." Elsa said, knowing it was not just she who needed to be comfortable with this decision.

"No I mean…" The Chief looked as if he was like he was searching for the right words before he simply shook his head a little. "Looks like you are flying with me and my hopeless dragon then, your majesty." He said with a small smile, Kai turning red in as he looked at the Chief with eyes that were shooting daggers.

"Oh lighten up Kai, it's not an engagement." Elsa said, Kai looking as if the air went out off him, before turning his attention back to the Chief, stalking over to him as he put a finger hard into his chest.

"You try anything; I will personally make sure you can never walk again." He said, enhancing his words by poking his finger into Chief Haddock's chest a few times with an extremely threatening look before he walked over to where Fishlegs and Astrid were standing, the two watching the scene with a mix of humor and disbelief.

Looking after the other man, Chief Haddock looked a little frightened and when he turned towards Elsa he sent her an amused glare when he noticed that she was doing her best to hold back a smile.

"If I have to walk around on two metal legs in the future, it's all your fault." He said gesturing to her and Toothless.

"You heard what my captain said Chief Haddock, as long as you behave, you don't have to worry."

"Are you telling me that you think I will not behave Queen Elsa?" He replied, and even though she knew he said it as a joke, Elsa couldn't help to feel a small rush of excitement when she looked into his shining green eyes that smiled down at her. The feeling surprised her and she quickly pushed it down, thinking it had to do with the fact that she soon would be flying on a dragon, not the fact that something about the way Chief Haddock had said the words forced her push down some very unwelcome thoughts of what could happen if he didn't.

"Well if you and your dragon doesn't, I will not hesitate to give you both frostbite." She said instead, trying to clear her thoughts.

"I promise we will be on our best behavior." Chief Haddock chuckled, picking up a leather rope from one of the small pouches that was attached to his leather armor and tied it around Toothless.

"So we have something to hold on to, we took off their saddles earlier this morning." He explained to her at Elsa's wondering look and she nodded, feeling how she started to become nervous once more.

"So how do we do this?" She asked.

"Well, once we are in the air, it won't be much of a problem for you to hold your balance, it's the take off and the landing that can be a bit tricky. So, since this is your first time flying, you will be sitting behind me so you can… you know… hold on." He answered a little awkwardly, drawing his hand through his hair.

"I see." Elsa simply said, the excitement of flying suddenly mixing with the new feeling of nerves she had just managed to push down. Had she really thought this through? Telling herself that she was being stupid, Elsa took a small breath before asking how she would get up in the best way.

At her words, Toothless simply laid down on the ground, Chief Haddock looking at his dragon with slight disbelief.

"You know I think you have somehow bewitched Toothless." He told her as the tension between them dropped and the normal ease returned.

"Or maybe he is just simply a gentleman who knows how to treat a Queen." She chuckled, gratefully accepting Chief Haddock's hand as he helped her to get up on the dragon, Toothless laying completely still the whole time. When Elsa felt that she sat securely on his back, Toothless rose before Chief Haddock climbed up on him with such ease that she almost wanted to laugh at her own less than graceful performance.

"Everyone ready to go?" He asked the rest of their group, missing the thoughtful and slightly hurt look on Astrid's face from where she watching Hiccup and Queen Elsa, thinking about how at ease they seemed to be around each other and how long it had taken for her and Hiccup to be the same.

But then again, from what she could see there was no attraction between them, so maybe that was the reason. After all, had she thought anything was going on between them, she would never had allowed the Queen to fly with Hiccup and they were soon leaving Arendelle anyway, which meant it would be a long time before they would meet the Queen again at all.

"I think we are, let's go!" Astrid answered as Stormfly lifted from the ground, Fishlegs, Meatlug and Kai following her, a scream of fear coming from Elsa's captain.

"Just remember to hold on as we take off." Chief Haddock reminded her and Elsa put her arms around his waist loosely, only to hold on for dear life as Toothless lifted from the ground and she saw how it quickly became smaller and smaller underneath her.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed, feeling that she couldn't take in the fact that she was actually in the air… flying… on a dragon. "This is unbelievable." She laughed and she could both hear and feel how Chief Haddock chuckled. Realizing she was still holding on to him tightly, she let go with one arm and held it out into the air, feeling the wind caress it as they soared in a calm pace over the sky.

In that moment, high above the treetops, Elsa had never felt more free or more alive, it was as if she had left all of her duties, all expectations, on the ground and she felt weightless up in the air.

"This is amazing! Why do you ever get down from up here?" She exclaimed in awe, Chief Haddock sending her an amused look over his shoulder just a small wind caused her to lose her balance slightly and she increased her hold on him with both arms once more.

"Maybe you should hold on securely Queen Elsa, I really would like to keep my other leg you know." Chief Haddock chuckled as Toothless gave a roar of agreement.

"I honestly doubt it was your leg Kai was thinking about." Elsa replied without thinking, blushing fiercely as soon as the words left her while the Chief started laughing loudly. Even Toothless made a strange laughing sound.

Despite still feeling a bit embarrassed, Elsa didn't let go off her hold on the Chief though. After all, it would be stupid of her to let go of the one who was making sure she wouldn't fall.

* * *

Flying was an experience Elsa soon found out that she loved more than anything she had done in a long time. Thanks to her powers she wasn't even bothered by the cold air, not that she would have been anyway for Chief Haddock himself was radiating such warmth that she was actually warmer than she was normally anyway.

As they were flying closer to the mountains, Chief Haddock told her more about the dragons and a strange sport on Berk that was called Dragon racing. Although the sport itself sounded very exciting to watch, it also sounded very strange. When she had asked him why it was sheep they threw into baskets, he had simply laughed and said that it was one of those weird things that was best to not think about.

At one point as they had climbed up the mountain side, Elsa had seen four little dots riding up the mountainside below them, making her wonder just how much teasing she would have to endure from Rapunzel and Anna after this flight. Perhaps she could persuade the Chief to say that she had been flying with Astrid instead? After all it would most likely benefit them both.

As she looked down at the landscape below, she suddenly recognized the home of the trolls and she pointed to the open space between mountains.

"There, that's where we are going." She said and Chief Haddock nodded, signaling to his friends who nodded and soon they were all descending slowly towards the ground. All the dragons landing safely and softly on the ground.

With ease, Chief Haddock jumped up off of Toothless and landed on the ground with such grace that she felt embarrassed at just the thought of how it would look when she tried to do the same. Thankfully, the Chief turned to her and raised his hands slightly, a silent offer to help her down. At his thoughtfulness, Elsa sent him a grateful smile as she leaned over and put her hands on his shoulders before gliding off as gracefully as she could.

When her feet touched the ground though, her legs gave out a little underneath her, still shaky from the flight, and he had to put his hands on her waist to steady her so wouldn't fall over.

"I feel like I have run a mile." She laughed as he chuckled, both letting go of each other when they heard a cry of relief coming from where Fishlegs, Astrid and Kai had landed, the sound coming from her captain who had thrown himself off of Meatlug and was now kissing the ground quite eagerly, the two Vikings next to him staring at him in a way that made it clear they questioned if he had lost his mind.

"I will have to make it up to him somehow when we get back I think." Queen Elsa said with a sheepish smile as she looked at her captain who was now laying on his back staring up in the sky. But her focus quickly shifted when Toothless nudged her in the side with a face that demanded attention.

"What kind of person am I, forgetting to thank the one who carried us all the way?" She said as she placed a kiss on the dragon's muzzle. At her display of affection, Hiccup saw how Toothless got a look in his eyes that he recognized, and apparently so did the Queen, for her own expression quickly turned stern as she looked at his dragon. "Though if you are thinking about drenching me in saliva I will not hesitate to freeze your tongue off." She added.

At first, it looked as if Toothless was going to defy her warning, but then he seemed to come to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the risk and carefully, as if testing the limits, reached out and only gave her hand a small lick instead. When nothing happened, he looked quite pleased at his way around the Queen's warning as Hiccup stared at his dragon with disbelief.

"Ohh come on! I have been trying to make you stop for years and now you just suddenly listen!" He exclaimed, Toothless sending him an innocent look that caused the Queen to start laughing as she gave the dragon a big hug. Looking at her, Hiccup couldn't help to smile back, for in that moment she was so extremely beautiful.

The thought surprised him a little. It was not that he hadn't always thought that Queen Elsa was a very beautiful woman, but her mask and hard shell had turned it into an untouchable beauty. It had been nothing more than a fact, something to be stated but not something to awoke any emotion.

But now, her mask was nowhere to be seen. There was a huge warm and genuine smile on her face. Her usually pale skin was rosy from the flight and her hair had fallen slightly out of her braid. When she looked at him, her ice blue eyes were glittering like the ice-crystals and he had never seen her more free, more… real.

For the first time, the woman in front of him was completely approachable, showing herself without any restraints. Her regal grace was still there, but it only added to her spell and Hiccup found that he couldn't take his eyes off of her in that moment, there was something mesmerizing about her that drew him in.

At least it did until he felt the imbalance of someone poking on his metal leg and he looked down to see what was causing it. At first sight, it appeared to be a stone with an arm and a tiny hand that was tapping on his leg, but then the stone turned upwards and to his surprise a pair of huge eyes looked up at him. Startled, Hiccup gave up a small shout as he took a step away from the small creature, but it only followed him and kept on inspecting his leg.

"Your leg is strange." It commented as suddenly most of the rocks around them began rolling towards their little group, turning into little stone creatures as well who all peered up at the Vikings and the dragons who, in return, were staring at them in disbelief. When another, bigger and older looking stone walked over to him and grabbed a hold of his metal foot Hiccup sent Queen Elsa a startled look, but she only nodded to him with a reassuring smile and he allowed the little creature to continue its inspection.

"It is strange." The creature, or troll that Hiccup assumed it was, stated and suddenly the whole hoard of little trolls was surrounding him as they stared in awe at the construction and talked amongst each other. Looking at them, Hiccup was at a loss what to do and looked over to his friends for help, but they looked just as lost as he did.

"Hey, this dragon has a strange tailfin too." One troll suddenly said and the attention was drawn to Toothless who lifted his tail high up in the air, looking around at the trolls with an angry scowl that they simply seemed to ignore.

"I think our guests would like some room to breathe." A soft, raspy old voice was heard and all the little trolls took a few steps back when they heard it, though they kept on staring at the newcomers with curios eyes. The one who had spoken was an ancient troll who looked as if he had been on this earth for as long as it had existed. He was standing on a large stone, a real stone, next to the Queen who was looking at him with warmth.

"It's good to see you again Queen Elsa, you only keep growing colder for each time you graze us with your presence." The old troll said to her. The compliment was an extremely strange one, for it sounded more like an insult, but at the affectionate look on the Queen's face it was clear this was something understood only between her and the old troll himself.

"Thank you Grandpabi, I am sorry I don't have the time to visit you more often." She said, the troll looking at her like an old grandparent who was very proud of his grandchild.

"No need to feel sorry, I understand that there is a great burden to rule a kingdom. Now, who are your guests that you have brought with you?" He asked and Queen Elsa presented them all to the old troll who nodded his head in greeting.

"It has been a very long time since dragons and Vikings graced these lands and I am very happy I lived to see the day it happened once more. I welcome you warmly Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and all your friends, I am Grandpabi." The old troll told them, his clear eyes shining.

"Thank you, it is a great honor to meet you." Hiccup answered, which caused the troll to smile slightly.

"No, no there is no honor, this is simply a happy meeting." He said, though not scolding. "Come closer young Hiccup, I must admit I wish to still my curiosity about how a young man managed to tame a Night Fury, it is unheard of before in these lands before, and perhaps you can introduce the dragons, Astrid and Fishlegs to the rest my family dear Elsa." He said, the Queen giving him a knowing look before she walked over to the more open area, the little trolls dragging his friends with them as they followed her while chatting happily.

Sharing a look with Toothless who had stayed behind, Hiccup nodded his head in the direction of his friends and the Queen, the black dragon walking over to them a little reluctantly but trusting in Hiccup's judgment.

"Please give me your hand, young one." The troll old troll said to Hiccup and while a little on his guard, he walked over to the troll and took his hand. The old troll's hand was warm despite the fact that it felt like soiled stone. Holding onto Hiccup's hand with both of his own, Grandpabi closed his eyes as Hiccup suddenly felt as if his whole being opened up to the troll in front of, in full display for him to view.

The feeling disappeared as soon as the old troll let go of him, but at the compassionate look in his eyes, it was clear that feeling had not been wrong and Hiccup felt extremely exposed under Gradpabi's wise gaze.

"You carry great grief and remorse within Hiccup, and guilt, so much guilt. You are very good at hiding your fears, but they are not going to go away if you do not confront them. They will simply be consuming you from inside, you must learn to move on and accept your past." The old troll said.

"I can't." Hiccup replied, the feelings he had been battling since that morning started to swirl under the surface once more, reminding him that they were always there, suppressed within but never gone. Trying to fight them back down, he looked over at his friends and the Queen, seeing that the latter was getting her hair rebraided by the little trolls who were all running around eagerly trying to find flowers to decorate it with. When one of them offered her a mushroom she kindly declined it, telling the small troll something before it rushed over to Astrid and started begging to do her hair as well.

At the sight, Hiccup felt how he managed to push away the sorrow as he focused on the lighter feelings, but at the look he got from the old troll he knew Grandpabi was well aware that he had just done.

"You are a very intelligent man, Hiccup, but you are torn in different directions." The troll began, apparently choosing not to say anything about the fact that Hiccup had just done the opposite of what he had told him.

"I can feel how your desire for freedom is fighting with the duty you feel towards your people. I can feel how you're connected to them, but also stand on the sidelines as an outsider. Now, I know another who have faced a struggle of your own, and still is facing another, and I think you have noticed this as well, consciously or subconsciously." At this he looked over at the Queen, Hiccup following his glance. "I know you don't know why she feels this way and all I can tell you is this: if you both choose to continue this friendship that have started to grow between you, it will either come to heal you both or bring you both down."

"Well, that's sounds really uplifting." Hiccup replied sarcastically as Grandpabi chuckled at his word. "Does she know?" He then asked.

"That is not for me to tell, just as it was not for her to hear what I had to say. Just know that I see many roads your life can take. Some will make you happy, some will bring you despair, some your destruction and only a few will have the possibility of giving you the best your life can offer." Grandpabi said matter of factly.

"You are not really making this sound any better." Hiccup replied as the troll smiled at him.

"All lives are full of choices. They make our lives turn in mysterious ways, rarely are we chosen for a single fate and even though we make our own choices, the choices of those around us will still always affect the turns our lives take. Life hands us the cards, it up to us to play them the best way we can and accept that some events are beyond our control."

"I guess that explains why Vikings always have a tendency of blaming each other." Hiccup grinned as Grandpabi laughed.

"Yes, I remember your people's stubbornness. You were not easy to deal with, but entertaining nevertheless and you took on quite a few influences from us, meaning we are partly to blame for many of your names. The part that they would protect you from us was something that was added later on I think, to give it all a bit more mystic." He said, a thoughtful expression on his old face.

"It would be very Vikings-like so I wouldn't be surprised."

"No, that is true. Now run along young one, I wish to talk to your friends as well." When the old troll did a small shooing motion at him, Hiccup couldn't help to chuckle as he rose to join Fishlegs and the Queen, Astrid walking over to Grandpabi who had waved her over.

Her expression was cautions, but the old troll smiled happily at her as she sat down, and at the reassuring look Hiccup sent her way she appeared to relax a little.

"So what did he say?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup when he reached his friend, noticing that Kai had finally left the ground and was sitting on a stone next to them.

"Not much, he was mostly curios about life on Berk." Hiccup answered, feeling that the conversation had been far too personal to share with anyone else. "Where is Queen Elsa?" He asked as he looked around and did a double take. "Is that a snowman?!" He asked.

The Queen was currently sitting on a rock, a huge group of trolls around her, and they were all looking at a snowman who was walking around, talking excitedly about something.

Walking around meant that it was alive. Snowmen did not live. At least they shouldn't live.

"Yes that's Olof, Queen Elsa created him." Kai suddenly spoke up from his place on the stone, sounding as if walking snowmen were the most natural thing in the world.

"Is it just me or do you feel like you can't handle any more weird right now?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup who shook his head, adding "creating life" to his list of the Queen's powers, when the little snowman suddenly saw them and gasped loudly before running over on his little… well legs.

"Hi I am Olof and I like warm hugs." The little snowman said with a huge smile, holding out his arms towards them as neither Fishlegs or Hiccup really knew what to say, what did you say to a talking snowman?

"And you are?" Olof finally said, looking at them expectantly as Queen Elsa walked up to him, placing her hand on the back of his neck in almost a motherly fashion.

"Olof, these are my friends, Chief Haddock and Fishlegs." She said as he snowman tilted his head to the side, looking very thoughtful.

"I don't see why you would name anyone a title and neither one has fishlegs. Do fishes even have legs?" He asked the Queen with huge eyes, but before she had the time answer something else caught his attention and he grabbed a hold of her, dragging her past the Vikings as he shouted happily: "Anna is here, come on Elsa", leaving Hiccup and Fishlegs to stare after the pair.

"Anna and Kristoff!" A collective excited shout was heard from all the trolls when they also noticed the new arrivals and as a collective force the trolls all rushed over to where Princess Anna had already been attacked by the hugging snowman.

"At least we now know trolls don't really kidnap children in our sleep." Hiccup said, Fishlegs only nodding his head as they shared a look as they joined their dragons, who had decided to lay down on the ground and wait, rather than joining the horde of talkative trolls, both feeling very content with watching the spectacle from afar.

After a little while Astrid joined them again, Fishlegs leaving with an eager expression at the prospect of finally having the chance to talk to Grandpabi, and she sat down next to Hiccup where he was leaning his back against Toothless. That she chose to sit with him instead of Stormfly surprised him a little, but he didn't comment on it.

"So did the old troll give you any words of wisdom?" She asked as picked up a small stick from the ground.

"You could say that. He was not being very precise though was he?" Hiccup answered as Astrid drew a few lines in the ground.

"No I suppose he wasn't." She said, sounding a little distracted before she sighed and leaned against his shoulder. At her action, Hiccup felt how he tensed up, even more surprised by her behavior, but he put his arm around her as he had done so often in the past nevertheless. Sitting there together it almost felt as it had done before he became Chief, before his dad had died as a result of his actions.

But the feeling was only fleeting and his mind didn't allow him to dwell on the memory, reminding him about the feeling that had grown stronger over the last few days; the feeling that he and Astrid would not get back together. He would always love her, but he could no longer see them going back to being a couple. It just didn't feel right.

"I have to admit she is not what I expected." Astrid suddenly said, relaxed against his side as he wondered what she thought about their future, but not feeling like it was the right time to bring up the subject.

"The Queen?" Hiccup therefore asked, wanting to make sure who they were talking about, even if there really couldn't be anyone else.

"Yeah, she is not a worrier, but she is strong, fair and she is not afraid to stand up for her opinions. She is powerful, not just with her power, but she dares to go her own way. Though she is a real royal and dull as dust most of the time, she is okay." At her words, Hiccup shook his head, of course Astrid had to find something she had didn't fully like.

"Well, this is a place very much dictated by etiquette." He said, watching how all the little trolls was sitting on the ground, listening intensely to Anna and Kristoff who were probably telling them about the wedding. At one point, Rapunzel nudged Queen Elsa in the side as if she wanted her to say something. But the Queen simply sent her a glare and directed the focus back to the newly wedded couple.

"It is." Astrid agreed. "Just imagine what would have happened had you brought Ruff and Tuff." She added with a laugh.

"The whole of Arendelle would have fallen." Hiccup said with a chuckle, feeling slight horror at just the thought of the twins in a ballroom.

"Hey, what is going on?" Astrid asked as the trolls suddenly began running around, grabbing a hold of the royal family, dragging them in different directions as they started moving around rocks and pick out various strange objects as Rapunzel ran over to them with a huge smile.

"The trolls are throwing a party to celebrate Anna's and Kristoff's marriage since they didn't attend the ceremony. Come on!" She said excitedly when she reached them and she grabbed a hold on both of them and dragged them up from the ground.

When they reached the others, the trolls started playing music from strange instruments and the sound that spread around them was of an otherworldly tune that seemed to seep into everything it touched, lighting it up from within and spreading joy across the land. When the music began, Rapunzel grabbed a hold of Hiccup, saying that he owed her a dance from the night before and soon they were all laughing, making up the moves as they let the music overtake them.

After their less than graceful dancing, Hiccup was overrun by three tiny female trolls who wanted him to dance with them while Astrid was currently dancing with Eugene whom she had rescued from a horde of female trolls who had attacked him as well. Anna was dancing with the small snowman and Fishlegs was very slowly being guided by an extremely patient Rapunzel in the basics of some dance which was common at the royal court.

The only one was wasn't dancing, and hadn't done so at all, was Queen Elsa. She had been sitting next to Grandpabi the whole time, the two talking and watching the spectacle with smiles on their faces. On a sudden whim, Hiccup managed to break free from the young trolls and walked up to them, missing how the young trolls gasped and giggled amongst each other when they saw him approach the Queen.

"Queen Elsa, do you not dance?" He asked her, Grandpabi watching them with interest.

"I am afraid I don't, also, I don't seem to know this particular dance actually." She answered a little sheepishly.

"You mean that of inventing the steps as you go?" He asked with a skeptical look.

"I am not the best at improvising, I have never done it really." Queen Elsa admitted and Hiccup wondered anyone could have gone their whole lives without ever just… letting go. Especially when said person had grown up learning how to dance. Well, maybe it was about time to change that.

"Hmm… it's a good thing I happen to be very good at it then." He therefore replied, though it was a slightly exaggerated truth.

"Really?" Queen Elsa smiled at him as he grinned back.

"Of course; I just simply do not like to dance." He replied and at the mirth in her eyes he knew she remembered their conversation from last night as well. Only then, the roles had been reversed.

"Sounds like I only have your word for it though; I will not truly know if you are speaking the truth if you don't prove it to me." Queen Elsa said.

"I think you are right, but I will only do it on one condition, that you start calling me Hiccup, your majesty. I have to admit I am a bit tired of hearing my title." He said reaching his hand out to her.

For a moment, all Elsa could do was stare at the hand he offered her, knowing that accepting his offer it would mean they would no longer only be in partners in trade, they would truly be friends, and she was not the best at keeping those around.

But as she looked up into his glowing green eyes, Elsa placed her cold hand in his, knowing that this stubborn, quirky Viking had somehow already managed to sneak his way underneath her skin and there really wasn't a decision to be made. She already saw him as a friend.

"Only if you start calling me Elsa… Hiccup." She said as his warm hand closed around her own.

"Elsa it is!" Hiccup smiled at her before he dragged her away from the smiling old troll and into the dancing crowd.

* * *

 **Thank you Hiccup! Now I can finally start referring to their names, I was getting tired of their titels as well! So next chap, let's just say that it will be a lot more emotional. After all, I think it's about time we dig a little deeper into Elsa isn't it?**

 **Now the next chapter is actually nearly done and if I get some boosting, I might be able to upload already on Monday, wouldn't that be something? ;) So tell me what you thought about this chap and what you think might happen in the next one! As always I love to hear what you have to say; what you liked, what you maybe didn't like, or you can just say hi if you want to that! ;)**

 **Until next time dear readers!  
/Lysistrate **


	11. Chapter 11

**It's three in the night/morning in Sweden right now so it's technically Monday, which means new update! The support for the last chapter has been a bit overwhelming, almost 20 reviews! You guys are awesome, so a big thanks to all reviewers! It will be very interesting to hear what you have to say after this one! ;)**

 **Also there is some Swedish and Norwegian in this chapter and to those who wonder, yes a Swede and a person from Norway actually can understand each other. Our languages are very simliar, but when it comes to Danish? Don't get me started haha!**

 **Guest (1):** I'm so happy to hear that you like where it's going, thank you so much for your review!

 **Guest (2, Laidyx?):** Haha so glad to hear you liked the chapter. Toothless is one of the most amazing characters I kinda see him as the best friend who is constantly trying to get his other friend into as much trouble as possible and push him into the situations where Hiccup dosen't dare to go. Sometimes it works, sometimes it dosen't. And Pabi, he know how to keep things between two people and to be vague, not even I know fully what he means at times haha!

 **Creeves59:** Thank you so much! Oh yes, they are a whole army on their own aren't they? And some sister on that, my I don't even want to think about that problem myself haha!

* * *

11.

"Han för sig som om han vore född här i södern." (He acts as if he had been born here in the South.) Prince Karl of Sweden said to Elsa, the two of them watching Chief Ha…. Hiccup where he was talking to Elsa's council, the often harsh men giving Hiccup with their full attention.

"Han er en intelligent mann." (He is an intelligent man.) Elsa answered simply, though she had to admit Hiccup had impressed her with how easily he had managed to pick up the small signals at court and navigate through them skillfully. At her response Prince Karl sent her smile.

"Är han gift?" (Is he married?) At his question, Elsa felt herself stiffen slightly, but not because she was offended. She and the prince had grown up together and at one point she had even had a small crush on him. There had even been talks of the two marrying when they grew up, for the match would have been an extremely good considering the tension that had started arise between Norway and Sweden, the people of Norway wanting to brake free from their neighbor in the east. For Arendelle it would in a political sense be better if the two countries stayed together and, since they had a huge influence over Norway, the alliance would have strengthened the bonds.

But after the accident with Anna the plans had been dropped while Elsa and Karl had started to drift apart. Somehow though, they had managed to stay friends despite the difficulties and their friendship had once again grown stronger since Elsa had revealed her power.

What had made her stiffen was the fact she found that she didn't like the idea that there might be a wife waiting for Hiccup back at Berk, it just didn't fit the picture she had gotten of him.

"Nei ikke vad jag vet. Ønsker du å felle han?" (No, not what I know. Do you wish to catch him?) Elsa asked with a grin as Prince Karl laughed.

"Jag håller redan på och försöker snärja Sir Anckarloos dotter, jag tror jag nöjer mig med det. Nej, jag tänkte på Ulrika." (I'm already trying to capture Sir Anckarloo's daughter, I think I'm quite satisfied with that. No, I was thinking about Ulrika.) He responded.

Ulrika was the youngest of the Prince's four sisters and as Elsa looked over at Hiccup, she thought that the match would have been a good one if not the girl had not been far too immature, she was only fourteen years old and still more a child than a young woman.

Besides, Elsa thought that Hiccup needed a wife who could hold her own. The Chief was kind, but as she had learned he was also a strong personality and he needed someone who challenged him.

"Du kan alltid foreslå det, men vil du finne henne en mann er det trolig bedre kandidater å vurdere." (You can always suggest it, but if you want to find her a husband there a probably better candidates out there.) Elsa answered.

"Kanske det, vi kan alltid fråga honom." (Perhaps, we can always ask him.) Prince Karl said, getting eye contact with Hiccup across the room and waving him over. They could see how Hiccup excused himself to the other men before he walked over to them.

"Chief Haddock! I see you keep on wrapping Elsa's council around your fingers, should I be worried I will have to defend her kingdom from invading Vikings?" Prince Karl greeted with a smile that Hiccup returned, the two men had hit off extremely well and it was amusing to see them interact.

"I should be more worried that my plan is to exchange them with my own council, then you would have something to work with Prince Karl." Hiccup said as the other man laughed.

"If you were to exchange them I don't think Elsa would have allowed you to leave." Prince Karl said to which Elsa grinned at him.

"If you have your way, Chief Haddock will not leave anyway." She said to Karl who shrugged.

"That's true, and also the reason I called you over. Chief Haddock, are you married by any chance?" Prince Karl asked as Hiccup raised an eyebrow, throwing a look at Elsa who shook her head slightly at the other man's forwardness.

"No I'm not, though I have to tell you that if that if you are asking for your own interest, I am very content with the situation as it is." Hiccup replied.

"What is with you two people insinuating things?! I am already trying to woo one woman, believe me that is far more than any man would have to go through." Prince Karl exclaimed, as Hiccup and Elsa both laughed. "What I was thinking about was an alliance between our countries, my youngest sister is soon of age and while I know Berk can hold it's own, Sweden have some of the finest ironstone the world can offer." Prince Karl added.

Looking at Hiccup, Elsa could see that the subject made him a little uncomfortable and she choose to try and change the rules a little. After all, a possible marriage between the Chief and Ulrika would mean a totally new field to play on, a field where a huge amount of power would have shifted to her neighbors in the east who would then have the access of dragons.

"It is a good proposition, should there be a man of a higher position on Berk how is looking for a woman to marry you can always suggest that Princess Ulrika is looking for a husband. Should they find each other agreeable, it would be a great opportunity for you both to evolve your connection to our lands Chief Haddock." Elsa therefore said, putting Hiccup out of the equation while also keeping Ulrika from the line of power a position as the Chief's wife would give her.

At her words, Prince Karl sent her an impressed look and she knew he was going to accept that she had won the bigger victory while still allowing him to have the chance of a good deal as well.

"I think that this is a question that I will have to take up with my own council before I can answer it Prince Karl, but I will speak to them about it." Hiccup replied, Prince Karl nodding with a pleased expression, knowing it was the best response he could get.

"Wonderful! Well, I have to go and talk to Lady Anckarloo and, hopefully, my future wife Katarina, excuse me." He then said, patting Hiccup on the shoulder as he went to find his fiancée.

"We were meant to be married you know." Elsa said to Hiccup as they both stared after the Prince, Hiccup turning to look at her with surprise. To be honest, Elsa was a little surprised as well. She didn't know what had caused her to say it, after all it had been almost twenty years ago and really it wasn't anything Hiccup needed to know.

She supposed the wine must have gotten to her more than usually this evening.

"I actually have a hard time seeing you two together, Prince Karl is a bit… eccentric." Hiccup said as Elsa smiled.

"That is an understatement. He is an extremely kind man, but he is also smart and knows that by throwing someone off guard he can sometimes get them to agree on things they normally wouldn't. Also he has a tendency of always speaking his mind even when he shouldn't." She replied.

"Trust me, I have noticed." He said, thinking back at all the strange things the Prince at times at exclaimed over the last two days they had all been in council.

It was three days since they had met the trolls up in the mountains where they had stayed all afternoon. They had danced, learnt how to play the troll's strange lyre and simply had a good time.

Even Elsa had all the time been relaxed and at ease, conjuring up a lake of ice after a while once again so they could all try some ice-skating. Elsa had turned out to be extremely skilled while Hiccup and Anna had both mostly had trouble standing up, Hiccup's metal leg not really helping. The same metal leg had at one point also been stolen by a few child trolls who had asked Hiccup if they could look at it only for them to accidently detach it.

When they had noticed what they had done, they had taken their treasure and ran, shouting for Hiccup to catch them, apparently missing the fact that Hiccup really could barely walk, and even less run around, without it. Thankfully Toothless had interfered, easily capturing the three little trolls before he had returned the leg to Hiccup who had laughed along with the others at the strange event.

For the last two days, they had all been in council, discussing the future of their partnership and how it could grow. During these meetings, Hiccup had found that his respect had grown even more towards Elsa for the way she ruled her council with a firm hand, but always listened to everyone and never closed the door for an idea before she had heard it. She was open for input and a driving force in all the conversations.

The clear respect that the other men had for their Queen was not hard to understand at all, it was as if she had been born to lead. What he had also found out was that he and Elsa worked really well together, his mind often thinking one step further outside the box than she while she came up with solutions to problems he never would have thought about.

The party tonight was a small one to celebrate the work they had done over the last few days and it was held in one the castle's smaller rooms for it was a much smaller guest list. Only the councilmembers, their families, and the royal family was attending. Along with the Vikings of course.

"So do you have anyone else in your sights then Queen Elsa?" Hiccup asked her, a friendly smile on his face, but his eyes were a little mischievous.

"I hardly think that is an appropriate question Chief Haddock." She answered, doing her best to look offended.

"I am a Viking my lady, I see no limits to what I can say. Besides young Mr. Beltham has been paying you a lot of attention this evening." He replied.

"The man is a pain!" Elsa muttered in response, shivering with disgust as she thought of the young noble.

"And still he can't seem to leave you alone, are you sure you have not given him any encouragement? For the way you looked at him with distaste earlier could really just be technique for hiding your true emotions for all I know." At her harsh glare, Hiccup did his best not to burst out laughing, while Elsa thought that had it not been for the fact that they were in a room filled with the Arendelle Elite, she would have smacked him in the head.

Or blasted him with frost, that would have worked as well and probably been even more satisfying.

"Since you appear to be such an expert on what type of man I am looking for, perhaps you should tell me who this man is, Chief Haddock?" She therefore only said with a sweet smile as Hiccup sent her a look that clearly said he knew that she was trying to turn the tables on him.

"Normally I wouldn't even approach a subject like this." He began as Elsa tried to hold back her smile at his serious tone. "But since you are insisting I will give you my opinion. You, my lady, needs a man who you cannot walk over." He told her with a grin as Elsa's smile disappeared and she sent him a new glare.

"I don't walk over people." She responded.

"Not directly no, but you cannot deny that you are a master of getting your way. You talk around every single man on your council, make them see your side and then, somehow, you always manage to convince them you are right. You need a man who doesn't get lost and can see through that, one who can challenge you… and who can make you laugh." He added the last part as an afterthought.

"Is that so?" Elsa said skeptically as Hiccup grinned at her.

"I do believe that's so, though I can be wrong of course, after all I am just a Viking in a strange land."

"A Viking who has turned my whole staff and council into his willful servants." Elsa told him, their smiles falling when they suddenly noticed that Fishlegs was making his way through the crowd towards them with a worried expression on his face.

"Fishlegs what is going on?" Hiccup asked as soon as their friend reached them.

"Astrid." He simply said, Hiccup and Elsa sharing a worried look before they looked out over the room, locating the female Viking in the far end on the opposite side. She was standing next to Rapunzel, who had taken a hold of her arm, and Anna who had an expression of distaste on her face.

Opposite of them stood Lady Beltham and two other women the Vikings didn't know.

"Damn that woman!" Elsa cursed when she saw them and she hastily set course towards the group, Fishlegs and Hiccup staring after her.

"You know Hiccup, if the Queen had not been a Queen and had she lived on Berk, I would have courted her no matter how many men I would have been forced to fight for it." Fishlegs said before following her, Hiccup doing the same, though with a strange feeling of annoyance at Fishlegs's words.

His friend would have never been able to handle Elsa at all, she needed… she just needed something different.

When they neared Astrid and the others, Hiccup saw that behind the furious expression on Astrid's face, there was a hint of hurt in her blue eyes that was rarely ever there. In fact, he had only seen it a few times during all the years they had known each other, and his promise to stand up for her during their stay here made the guilt settle over him with full force, for even if he didn't know what had been said, it was clearly something that had been directed towards Astrid.

Had it not been for Elsa, he would have rushed over to the group, but as if sensing what he was about to do, she lightly touched his arm as they walked, holding him back. When he looked down at her, he saw that the woman he had been joking with a few seconds ago was once again replaced by the person she always became as soon they were in any form of official event.

It was the Snow Queen who walked beside him and she was asking him to trust in her to solve the situation. So despite wanting to give in to his worry, he nodded his head stayed by her side.

As they neared, Hiccup saw the exact moment when Rapunzel and Anna noticed that they were approaching, for they both got expression of relief on their faces when their eyes landed on Elsa. Seeing that their focus had shifted, the three noble women turned in their direction as well, the two in the back paling slightly while the one in the front grinned a wolfish grin while Rapunzel whispered something to Astrid.

If Queen Elsa was a vision, the woman in front of them was nearly as far from it as one could come. It was not that lady Beltham she was ugly, but there was a harsh look in her eyes that sharpened her face, twisting it into a malicious expression that no one wanted to look at.

"Queen Elsa! What a joy to see that you are joining us, and you bring the handsome Chief with you I see, what a treat! You know I was just saying that it would not be fair if you had him for yourself all night." She said, her eyes traveling over Hiccup in a way that made him want to hide under a rock, or call on Toothless to protect him.

"Of course not Lady Beltham, I would bore him to death, all the political talk you know." Queen Elsa said, her eyes ice cold since she did not miss what the woman in front of her was insinuating. "Besides I just had to know what you were talking about over here." She added as a sweet tone made its way into her voice, making it sound as if she was actually highly interested in what the woman in front of her had to say.

"Oh, you know just the usual when it comes to us lonely women, although of course it's just dear little Miss Hoffersson here who is missing a husband." Lady Beltham said, sending a look towards Astrid who clenched her fists. "And I have told her tonight, your majesty, that she doesn't have to worry, even a damaged girl can find a man who is willing to take her as his own."

At her words, Hiccup felt his own anger rise as he saw the slight hurt in Astrid's eyes once more, for he knew there was nothing she was more proud of than her own integrity and this woman was just standing here throwing it all in the dirt. But once again, Elsa sent him a look that told him not to say anything, and he ignored the hurt look he got from Astrid when he kept quiet.

That didn't mean he didn't feel like he deserved to be dragged behind a Gronckle though.

"Damaged?" Queen Elsa only asked, a curios expression on her face.

"Why yes! Your majesty, you cannot mean that any man would even consider taking on a woman who has traveled alone with two men and lived them, alone, for so many weeks? I mean, she is a beauty, and while I do not doubt her competence, you must agree that it can arouse some very valid questions." Lady Beltham said, giving them all a fake smile, looking pleased that she seemed to have won the Queen over on her side as Elsa smiled back at her.

"It sure can, though you make it sound as if it will be highly impossible for her to find someone at all." She said.

"Of course not! I will find you a man my dear, one who is old and wise enough to handle you, with a large fortune and a need for an heir!" Lady Beltham replied with a grin towards Astrid who had turned red with anger.

"And I do not doubt you will succeed Lady Beltham, after all if you ignore the fact that you and Lord Beltham live in two different estates, your marriage has turned out to be very successful. You sure must have an eye for these situations." Elsa said, the venom in her voice now impossible to miss, the sweet smile on her face clashing with her cold her eyes.

Her words dropped almost like a small bomb and Lady Beltham turned white with a horrified expression while the other women discreetly left their leader hanging. However, Rapunzel and Anna were both smiling victoriously while Astrid was looking at Elsa with something Hiccup had never seen directed towards the Queen before, respect and gratitude.

"I am sorry?!" Lady Beltham finally said in a small voice.

"Oh you must not misinterpret me Lady Beltham, I meant it as a compliment. I really am impressed how you two have managed to make it work. Especially since Lord Beltham has spoken to me about your oldest son, he was really not trying to make it a secret that it he is a little worried about his estate falling into his hands since he is not his own." Elsa said. "Perhaps you should talk to your husband, it would such a scandal if more were to find out about this if you do not wish it, of course you can trust in me to keep it a secret further on."

At her words, Lady Beltham looked completely stunned for a moment before she turned around and rushed towards her husband with a furious expression on her face, no one envying the poor man at all.

"Thank you." The soft voice came from Astrid and the cold expression on Elsa's face fell away as she looked at her.

"No problem, that woman is hateful and she loves to cause trouble. She needs to be put in her place a few times each year." Elsa replied.

"Perhaps, but still, you stood up for me and you made sure I didn't beat her teeth out when I didn't know how to defend myself in a better way, which probably only would have made everyone talk even more. So, thank you." Astrid said, reaching out her hand towards Elsa, the other woman smiling at the Viking warmly as she accepted the handshake.

"You are welcome." She said, Hiccup seeing how Rapunzel and Anna were both grinning hugely, the latter drying a tear.

"You know Queen Elsa, you may not use an axe, but you are made of steel." Astrid chuckled as they let go off each other.

"I think ice fits me better, the steel, I think, is reserved for you." Elsa replied which caused Astrid to laugh and punch Elsa on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" The Queen asked, holding her hand over the spot where she had just been hit.

"That's how I let you know you are now a part of the team." Astrid grinned, the whole group feeling how the earlier tension drifted away as they kept on chatting happily, Lady Beltham forgotten.

* * *

The rest of the feast the Vikings mostly spent with the royal family, Hiccup taking the chance to apologize to Astrid for not interfering when he got the chance. To his relief she smiled at him and said that he had done the right thing to trust the Queen, both knowing Elsa had handled the situation better than they ever could have done.

During the night, Elsa had come and gone from their small group, her position as Queen calling for her attention more than it did for the rest of them even though they occasionally were approached by other guests. Each time she had left the group, Hiccup had kept a eye on her all night, for even if he had joked about Mr. Beltham's obvious attraction for her earlier, there had been something that had changed in the other man's eyes over the course of the night as more and more alcohol had entered his system.

It had been on pure chance Hiccup had noticed it all, but at one point when Elsa had spoken to Rapunzel, the man had bumped into her, apologizing that it had been an accident. In response Elsa had accepted his apology with her normal regal grace, but when she had turned her back to him, Hiccup had seen an almost feral look in Mr. Beltham's eyes, the grin he had sent Hiccup when he had noticed his stare not really calming his unease at all.

So Hiccup had kept an eye out for Elsa and Mr. Beltham all night, throwing a new glance around the room when he suddenly noticed that Elsa was nowhere to be seen, feeling his unease rise again, he turned to Prince Karl who was next to him, looking down in his glass with a slightly dazed look.

"You don't happen to know where Queen Elsa is?" Hiccup asked, as he scanned the room, feeling even more uneasy when he noticed that Mr. Beltham was nowhere to be seen either.

"Oh Elsa often takes some time to breathe during parties, she is probably just in her study or something." The Prince answered, sending him a curious look, but the way his eyes were glazed over showed he was a bit drunk. "Why do you ask?"

"Just remembered that I need to discuss something about the transportation issue we discussed earlier today." Hiccup answered evasively, wondering if Price Karl was drunk enough to by his explanation or not.

"Really?" The Prince said with highly skeptical look as Hiccup just stared back at him without giving anything away. "Well, you both seem to be thinking of nothing but work every hour of the day so... it's on the third floor if you feel that you cannot wait." Prince Karl said, Hiccup walking out of the room as discreetly as he could when the other man went to get another drink.

Out in the corridor Hiccup suddenly realized how warm the small room had been as the cold hit him and with each step his metal leg echoed through the corridor as he walked on the stone floors. After just a little while though, he realized how stupid it had been of him not to say anything to Anna or anyone else of the royal family.

He could in no way make his way around the giant castle and he didn't actually even know if there was anything to worry about. After all, Mr. Beltham could have just left with someone else or decided to take breath of fresh air. Then there was also the fact that if, against all odds, he were to find Elsa's study, it would look extremely strange that he had sought her out when she clearly wanted to be alone.

But that didn't stop the fact that his gut was telling him that something wasn't right and that telling everyone would not make the matter better, and if it was something the had learned over the years it was to trust his instincts. They had been what led him to spare Toothless, to know how to approach the dragons and handle them. They had always guided him right, except for that one time when he had misjudged Drago.

Hiccup just hoped this was not one of those times. Still, his instinct couldn't tell him where he was supposed to go.

"Hiccup, what are you doing here?" At Fredrik's voice Hiccup turned around hastily, the relief slightly calming his unease as he looked at the young boy.

"Fredrik! You have no idea how good it was that I ran into you. Do you know where Queen Elsa is?" At his question, the young kid looked at him with suspicion for the first time looked and Hiccup wanted to hit himself in the head for how badly he was currently handling the situation.

"Why do you ask?" Fredrik asked, his answer telling Hiccup that he probably knew where she was. Now all he had to do was convince Fredrik to tell him, but he really didn't know what to say, that he had a bad feeling? That sounded stupid even to him, but he really didn't have another alternative.

"Look, Fredrik, I know this may seem weird, but have you seen Mr. Beltham around here as well? For if you have I would really want to talk to Queen Elsa." He said and he saw how Fredrik looked at him with a nervous expression.

"I saw Mr. Beltham just a little while ago, I don't like him, I have seen the way he looks at the Queen." He said, Hiccup realizing that perhaps he hadn't burned all bridges after all.

"Yeah, I have seen it too and that's why I just want to see if she is alright." Hiccup answered honestly and Fredrik gave him a look that clearly told Hiccup he was battling with himself.

"If Mr. Karlsson finds out I helped you and you are trying to get close to the Queen he will throw me out." Fredrik said with worry.

"I would never let that happen and I am only worried about her, I promise. Don't you trust me Fredrik?" Hiccup asked, hoping his sincerity was as clear as he wanted it to be and when Fredrik nodded his head, gesturing for him to follow, Hiccup let out a breath of relief, following the young boy quickly.

"I saw her walk into her study, she always goes there when she wants to be alone or when she needs to think." Fredrik said as he opened a hidden door in the wall. "It is the servants' way, but it is the fastest as well." He explained, Hiccup following him, feeling a bit of awe when he entered a hidden world he had known existed, but not to this extent.

Behind the lavish side of the castle, corridors, stairs and passages was reveled like an endless labyrinth as he followed young Fredrik, the young boy seemingly knowing exactly where he was going. On the way they met, servants and maids of all different kinds who were all talking lively, laughing or shouting instructions to each other as they rushed ahead, many of them so busy that they barely spared Hiccup and Fredrik a second glance.

Those who did however stared at him with huge eyes, seemingly both shocked and a little uncomfortable at his presence. At one point, a group of maids started giggling like crazy when he walked by and Hiccup could hear them talking excitingly to each other when he and Fredrik had passed.

"That's the door." Fredrik finally said after what felt like an eternity, but at most could have been two or three minutes, pointing towards a door in the middle of the corridor they had just entered from the servant's corridor. Without hesitation Hiccup walked up to it and felt the handle.

"It's locked." He said, trying to hear if there were any voices within. "Maybe I was just being paranoid." He muttered, when he heard nothing, Fredrik once more looking at him with a slightly torn expression.

"Mr. Beltham once hurt one of the maids and Queen Elsa has always been very kind to me, she took me in when no one else would, even went over Mr. Karlsson's head. If something was to happen to hear, I would never forgive myself. Come." He said, Hiccup following the young boy once more as he led him into another passage.

"This leads into the study, it's so the ones inside can escape should something happen, but it's also so we can go in and out unseen. Just push down the handle when you reach the wall, it cannot be locked from the inside." Fredrick said, and, carefully Hiccup walked through the small corridor, wondering if he was not overreacting and if he was just bringing down problems upon himself.

Really he had nothing more than a feeling to go on, it was stupid.

Reaching the door, the felt for the handle and hesitated, knowing that if he was wrong he would probably have ruined any amount of trust he had managed build up between himself and Elsa if she was in the room, but at the sound of sobbing, he didn't hesitate a second before he burst into the room.

The scene that met him made him freeze mid step as he took it in with shock.

The whole room was freezing, completely covered in frost while snow was falling from the ceiling. In the middle of the room stood Mr. Beltham, a look of pure fear on his face as he was trying to free himself from a block of ice that covered most of his body, including his mouth. When he saw Hiccup enter, he tried to scream out something but only a mumbling sound was heard.

The person Hiccup was drawn to though, stood by the huge windows, her back turned to him. Her dress was wrinkled, but she looked otherwise unharmed, expect for the fact that the air seemed to glitter around her and that she looked extremely fragile.

Hearing him enter, Elsa swung around and a blast of ice escaped from her hands, hitting the bookshelf behind him with a bang as she cried out in fear.

"What are you doing here?! Get out!" She shouted, wrapping her arms around herself as if trying to protect herself, the distress clear on her face.

"I saw him follow you and I became worried, did he try to…?" Hiccup asked, the anger at mere thought at what might had happened overpowering him for a second, but a bitter, harsh and cold laugh from Elsa caused it to die just as quickly, being replaced with worry for the woman in front of him instead.

"Oh, he did. He did try to do what all men try to do when they want to punish a woman." She spat out the words, her eyes flashing with anger. But when she saw that Hiccup was approaching her, she began backing away, holding her arms around her closer.

"Are you okay?" He asked carefully, for he had recognized the resentment in her voice, he had felt it himself towards his own people, but as he approached her, he saw how the anger in her eyes was pushed back by pure fear.

"Go away!" She shouted, the frost around him flashing up in a strange color of red. Any normal human would probably have run, but Hiccup had grown up working with dragons, helping them in their most distressed need. He was stubborn and his mother would had said that it was his soul that made him brave, and stupid, enough to do what no one else did. He was not normal and no matter how powerful Elsa was, he was not afraid of the woman in front of him.

"I am not leaving you until I know you are alright and you are clearly not." He only said calmly, his concern for her only increasing when he noticed how she only seemed more distressed the closer he got, she didn't think he would hurt her did she?

Reaching out his hand to her slowly, as he had done so many times to dragons in an offer of friendship, her eyes flashed to him before she locked her arms around herself and moved away from him again.

"Don't touch me! I don't need your help; I just want you to leave me alone!" She shouted, her fear now mixing with the anger again, her eyes storming when she looked at him.

"Then why don't you release Mr. Beltham?" He asked calmly, seeing how her expression turned panicked, and if possible, she looked even smaller.

"I can't." She whispered, suddenly sounding utterly defeated as she looked down at her hands. "I can't control…" Looking at her, Hiccup finally understood. Her fear was not directed at him or at what had just happened, it was directed towards herself. "I don't know how… I cannot feel…" She stammered and closed her eyes, the frost around them suddenly growing more solid as it began to turn into ice.

"Hey, hey!" Hiccup said and she looked up at him. "What do you need to feel?" He asked and she looked at him with a confused expression for a second.

"Warmth… and love. But how can I…. I hate him." She said, her eyes turning dark as she turned to the man who was frozen in the ice. "Who does he think he is? Trying to use me as some… whore he can just throw away!" As her eyes flashed, spikes of ice suddenly grew out from the walls around them.

"I have the right to hate him! Coming in here like some pig who thinks he can get away with… It helps me contain him, it always saves me… my heart is cold… all I feel is hate and resentment towards him, towards all of them! I always do! Don't they think I know they look upon me as some freak?! But that must mean I have a cold heart, doesn't it? Otherwise I would be able to let it go, wouldn't I? Anna always forgives, but I can't do it. I don't know how to control it… I don't want to… I just… I just…" She stammered, closing her eyes again as her body began to tremble.

To Hiccup, she wasn't really making any sense, but at her broken voice, he did something he would probably regret later, still he really knew no other way of breaking through to her. He started walking over to her again, and when she noticed what he was doing, she backed away from him once more, but this time he only followed her until she hit the wall.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you, I will hurt you if you stay. Please just go, please..." She whispered when she realized that she couldn't go anywhere, frost dancing around her hands as she breathed heavily.

But instead of leaving, Hiccup reached out his hand and pushed back the hair that had fallen down in her face. At the action, her eyes snapped up to him as they turned huge with disbelief, her trembling body slowly calming as he allowed his hand to caress her ice cold cheek before resting it on her shoulder.

Her skin was even colder than usual and felt like small bites against his hand, not like the tingles he usually felt when their temperatures clashed.

"You have a warm heart Elsa; I have seen it. You are compassionate, caring and fiercely loyal. You just need to trust in it, you need to _trust in yourself_. You will not win over this by allowing yourself to get revenge, or by trying to control and containing it, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, you need to feel, the good and the bad." He told her, hoping he had managed to get something out of her earlier rambling.

But at his own words, he couldn't help to feel a bit of a hypocrite. Who was he to say anything when he pushed away his own fears and his own guilt? Still, he didn't have the time to reflect upon his own troubles now, all he cared about in that moment was the woman in front of him.

"But what if I only find darkness, what if there is only hate? What if I only want to punish him and the power takes over? I could hurt you, I could hurt everyone!" She whispered with panic, Hiccup feeling how his heart clenched in his chest, recognizing the fears that once had been and, to some point, still was his own, remembering how hard it was to face that side of himself.

"Hey, you will not hurt me or anyone else." He said, squeezing her shoulder lightly before he took a small step back to put some distance between them, holding out his hands to her once again. She stared at them with fear before, slowly, she raised her own hands, hesitating when they hovered above his own, the frost still glittering around them. Her ice blue eyes darted up to his and he could see how much she doubted herself, how certain she was that she would indeed hurt him.

"I trust you." He whispered to her, and he really did, the fact that she was so afraid of hurting him making him certain that she wouldn't. When her cold skin made contact with his, it stung painfully for a second before it disappeared, only the usual tingle remaining as the frost dancing around them disappeared. Carefully he closed his hands around hers, Elsa looking down at their joined hands as if she couldn't fully comprehend what was happening.

"Elsa." At her name she looked up at him again and knowing he had her attention, he continued. "I know it can be hard, but trust me, pushing away your feelings will not help you. You have the heart of a leader, of a Queen, which means you have a heart that can feel and embrace more than most can only dream of. I have seen it in your love for your people, your family and your country. I have seen it in the way you greeted us when we came here. You cannot push that away, if you do, that's when your heart turns cold. It turns cold when you do not allow it to be alive."

Once again he had spoke from what he knew himself, he had the heart of a Chief and she the heart of a Queen, but really there was no difference, for it required the same thing; to care more for others than yourself, to be able to embrace not just a family, but a whole tribe or kingdom. To, at times, sacrifice your own happiness for their wellbeing.

"I don't know if I can, I have always trusted in the love of others, the love for Anna… but now it isn't enough." She whispered and leaned her forehead against his chest, as if she was needing some help to support herself and hesitantly Hiccup wrapped his arms around her. Thankfully she didn't draw back instead he felt how she slowly, hesitantly, wrapped her arms around him as well.

"That's because this is not for Anna or anyone else. This is for you, you must find the motivation and you can only do that by embracing it. You have the love within you Elsa, the love that makes you the caring, compassionate person you are. The person who have a heart big enough to love a kingdom. If you didn't you wouldn't sacrifice so much for them. You have to trust in that. You need to give yourself the chance to find that place where you have your own warmth. You need to let it go." He whispered to her and just like that, it was as if something broke within the woman in his arms.

Elsa gave out a strangled sound before she started to cry, her knees giving out underneath her. Hiccup increased his hold around her so she wouldn't fall, holding her while she held onto him for dear life, soaking his shirt with her tears.

Holding her close, Hiccup felt how her cold body, that seemed so fragile, slowly began to warm up. Around them the cold began to disappear, the ice slowly turning into small ice crystals that disappeared in the air while Mr. Beltham was slowly being released from the ice. Before he was fully free though, he was hit in the head with a pole with such force that he passed out, young Fredrik looking down at him with a stunned surprised expression, it was almost as if the young kid didn't really understand what he had just done.

Then Fredrik looked up at Hiccup, sending him one sad look before he left the room once more, leaving Hiccup alone with Elsa as he kept holding onto her tightly, offering the only comfort he could; the one of human contact and the promise that he was not going anywhere.

* * *

 **So... yeah... I think you can guess now what I meant with emotional scene in the previous chapter. Now something that I really missed in Frozen (but I can understand since it's a kids movie and you don't have unlimited time) is how easily Elsa just came to control her power, so this is kind of my way of showing that no one would be able to get over what she has been through that fast. She is still broken and I kinda like the idea that she has never embraced her power except for when she tried to break free.**

 **Now also, I know Anna love Elsa more than anything, but when you think about it, she has never said to Elsa just to embrace the power. Even when she went to find her, she just assumed it was a part of Elsa that could be controlled and I really see Elsa's power as a part of herself, not just a tool or something she can use at will.**

 **Also I want to give a shoutout to KtyouVsWriting who came up with the idea of the trolls steeling Hiccup's leg, just genius and thank you for allowing me to put it in my story.**

 **Now, what will happen next? What did you think about the chap? And about the fact that it was Elsa who took Hiccup's hands, making it her choice to trust him? (Does it sound familiar? ;) )**

 **Wow this became a long note! Until next time all my lovely readers!  
/Lysistrate **


	12. Chapter 12

**Midterms are done, finished! Now I just have to wait for the result, which is almost worse since they arrive on Friday the 13th, lucky me right? Anyhow, I don't have much to say this time, only a huge thanks to all reviewers and now, keep on reading, if you dare!**

 **Laidyx:** Haha no problem, I figured out who it was anyway just happy I wasn't wrong! Happy you liked the chapter and the little jealousy of Hiccup, though he would deny it if you asked him, he dosen't know it himself yet ;) Also glad you enjoy the way Anna and Elsa's relationship is moving forward, they are more alike I think then they know, and Mr. Beltham sure deserved it! :D

 **Creeves59:** Really glad you liked it! :D Yes that sure was a scene he probably never expected to see his Queen in, though I can promise Fredrik is a real trooper and a smart little guy, he will be fine! Mr. Beltham is probably suffering from all of those things and I do agree that he deserves it. Haha did Elsa fall asleep in Hiccup's arms? You will have to see in this chapter ;)

* * *

12.

She couldn't sleep. She had been trying for the last few hours without any success. She had never gotten the chance to thank him. His warm, strong arms had for a moment become her shelter, a place where she could let go of the utter fear she had felt when Mr. Beltham attacked her, when he had tried to…

Shivering with disgust she threw away the covers and jumped out of bed, putting on her robe as she walked to the window. The moon was shining and the stars were glittering, not a cloud to be seen. It was a beautiful night, but all she could see was green eyes filled with compassion, strength and recognition. Eyes that had promised her shelter. Eyes that had trusted her.

Even at her lowest, at her most dangerous, he had trusted her. He had not turned against her or tried to stop her in any other way than reaching out to her.

Why had he done it? How had he known what to say? It had almost been like he had known, as if he spoken from experience, but how could that be?

She hadn't even had the chance to thank him. Once her tears were gone, she had been so tired and in silence he had held her until he had reminded her that they had to plan how to tell what had just happened in the best way. Not once had it been suggested that anyone should know how she, in her fear and anger, had lost control… or how he had saved her from herself.

He had told her what no one else had ever told her before. He had told her that she held the love, that she held the warmth, that she was strong. He had not said that that strength would allow her to control herself, he had said that it would allow her embrace who she was and not succumb to the person she could be.

Embracing meant letting something in. Controlling meant caging in, handling or pushing away, a temporary solution. She had not let her power be a part of her for nearly twenty years. She had not embraced it, she had controlled it. Even after she had learned that love was the key to thaw, she had controlled it, never embracing who she was, never allowing herself to accept what she had learnt should be contained since she was little.

Always control, never acceptance. Always control.

Green eyes flashed before her eyes. She could feel his arms wrapping around her, his warm, strong body telling her that he was not leaving her. That he trusted her, that it was okay, that he understood, that she was allowed to be different, that he was going to stay with her no matter who she was.

She hadn't even said thank you.

She hadn't even said thank you.

Running out of her room, she slammed the door open, not even closing it as she rushed out into the hallway, her bare feet echoing in the corridors as she ran out of the castle.

* * *

The moon was shining, lighting up the world with its ghostly white light. It was no longer full, instead it had started its journey towards darkness. It would disappear from the sky, ending an era before returning to begin a new once more. An eternal cycle over the sky.

Some people feared the moon, said it made the witchcraft stronger and brought out dark creatures, that it's power could turn people mad. Hiccup was not stupid enough to say it was all rubbish, but he was still not afraid of something he had never seen so he didn't fear the dark the way many other Vikings did.

He was sitting down by the small pond in the royal gardens where Queen Elsa had told him about her power. He didn't know if he was allowed to be here, probably not, but he didn't care. Toothless was laying behind him with his tail around Hiccup in a protecting manner, seemingly asleep.

Hiccup himself, he felt terrible.

He had not been able to fall asleep, the memories of the broken woman he had encountered the night before haunting his mind. What had caused anyone to come to the point where you were terrified of yourself? To doubt yourself so much? Hiccup had sensed that Elsa was an outsider, he had seen how she, just like he himself so often did, many times kept in background. She was always on alert and she constantly distanced herself a little from everyone else, even her sister, though it was so little no else really noticed.

But that she had carried so much fear for her own power and what she could become... How in the name of Odin had she been able to contain it? It required one extremely strong person to keep all of that inside.

What made him still worry so much about her, and slightly scare him, was the fact that he had seen so much of himself in her. He remembered the loneliness, the feeling of never being enough. He remembered thinking that sometimes it would just be better to let it all go, to turn into someone who didn't earn respect, but someone who demanded it. Someone who instead of fitting in made himself do so by taking over.

When he had found Toothless, he had had the chance to do it, the darkness, which had been born from being bullied and an outcast his whole life, had told him to do it. It would have been so easy to prove them all wrong. He had a Night Fury who could help him, he could have done it. But he had not listened to it, in Toothless he had seen a soul that reflected his own. It had made him realize that he was, perhaps, not alone and with time he had found a new friend, his best friend, who had helped him to accept himself for who his and embrace the fact that he would never be the epitome of a Viking, he would always be Hiccup and that would have to be enough.

That did not mean he still didn't feel like an outsider among his own at times, just like Elsa apparently did, or that, when he was reminded of his dark teenage years, the darkness would stir within. The difference was that now it wanted him to show how far he had gotten and, of course, that those who thought otherwise were wrong. It was what had happened when Prince Harald had mocked him and normally Hiccup would have just walked away. It was that the Prince had brought up his dad that had made him lose his temper.

And just like that the pain, sorrow and guilt washed over him again. He had told the Queen to embrace her feelings and he couldn't do it himself, he couldn't live with the guilt of having been so stubborn and naïve. That he hadn't listened and that it had torn his family apart just as it had gotten back together. He had killed his dad. What he didn't understand was why it was so constantly coming back to him over the last week, why couldn't it just go away?

"Arggh!" Hiccup gave up an angry scream as he tried to give a voice to his conflicting emotions, throwing a rock out into the small pond while Toothless woke up and looked at him with sorrow filled eyes.

"I'm sorry bud." He said to his dragon, Toothless putting his head on Hiccup's lap as best as he could. Hiccup knew Toothless also mourned Stoick's death and probably, somewhere, blamed himself himself as well despite the fact he had been under the alpha's influence and that Hiccup had forgiven him nearly the moment it had happened.

"Hiccup?" At the small, quiet voice both Hiccup and Toothless flew up from the ground, Hiccup with Inferno drawn while Toothless growled angrily, both a little a little embarrassed when they registered who had spoken.

"Queen Elsa, I am sorry you startled us." Hiccup said as he looked at her. Elsa seemed to be glow in the moonlight and for the first time her hair was flowing freely like silver down her back. Her ice-blue eyes were shinning as they reflected the moon and she was only wearing a thin light blue robe over a white nightdress, no shoes on her feet.

She looked like an unearthly creature who had happened to stumble into the human world by accident.

At her simple attire, Hiccup was reminded that he was only wearing a shirt and loose pants, having not put on his armor since he had left his cottage in the spur of the moment. It was as if they had taken away yet another layer between them, breaking down the facades even more.

"No I'm sorry, I shouldn't have sneaked up on you. I just wasn't expecting anyone to be here and then I heard your scream and I…" She looked down at her hands, trailing off as she didn't know what to say. "What's its name?" She asked when she looked up again, gesturing to the still burning sword in his hand.

"Inferno." He told her, retracting the sword, making it look completely harmless once more. "I am sorry, I'm a little on alert tonight."

"After everything that has happened that is to be understood." Elsa replied, her eyes showing that she was in conflict with herself before asking: "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No, of course not." Hiccup answered and to his surprise she didn't sit down on the bench, instead she sat down next to him on the ground, looking out over the pond where a small family of ducks were just walking up on the small island in the middle of the it, the statue of a woman standing there like a dark figure in the moonlight.

"I couldn't sleep." She suddenly whispered, twirling the end of her hair between her fingers.

"Well, neither could I." He replied, happy when he saw the hint of a smile on her face. "How are you feeling?" He asked, for he had not gotten the chance to ask her after the rush that had followed once they had left the study the night before.

"I…" She shrugged, as if unsure how to continue. "I guess I'm doing okay; I still feel violated but mostly I just…" She trailed off, but Hiccup stayed quiet, feeling that she didn't really want him to break the silence. "So, Inferno, how does it work?" She asked instead, changing the subject and he accepted that she maybe didn't want to talk about what had happened.

"It's actually one of the constructions I am pretty proud of, the blade is retractable and is covered with…"

"I never thanked you." She suddenly interrupted him, looking at him with tears in her eyes she clearly was trying to hold back. "You are the first who has said to me that it's okay… to be who I am… everyone else has always told me to control it, that I am _supposed_ to control it." She said, the bitter tone from the night before seeping into her voice, the one from his own youth.

Toothless, noticing her mood as well, put his tail around them both before nudging her slightly in the side, with a sad smile, Elsa looked at him and patted him on the head.

"My parents always told me that controlling my power was necessary, that I…" She trailed off once more and he could see the storm in her eyes.

"You don't have to tell me, Elsa." Hiccup told her earnestly. She had been through a lot just over the last twenty-four hours and he didn't want to push her. Still, it seemed as if his words were exactly what she needed to hear for she gave him a sad smile.

"You are probably the most compassionate person I have ever met. I _want_ you to understand…" And so she told him about how she, while growing up, had been confined to the castle, how her parents had tried to teach her how to control her power, pushing her more and more each time it broke free, causing the hatred for being different and the fear of her power to grow until she had looked upon it as a monster within, something she had been cursed with and that should be locked away.

She told him how she, in the end, had started to turn away from the outside world and how it in the end had culminated when Anna had pushed her at her coronation until the power had broken free. How she had decided to let it go, but how it had only resulted in covering the whole land in eternal winter, a winter she hadn't known how to reverse. She told him that she had learned how love was the key, though she left out the part that she had frozen Anna's heart. She was not ready share that yet.

She also told him how she had hoped that learning how to thaw the snow would finally give her full control over power, only to learn over time that was not the case.

"I know that what happened with Anna when we were little was just an accident." She concluded. "But growing up I learned to fear myself, to never trust in the power within, that it was something I should never let anyone see. Our motto even was "conceal, don't feel, don't let it show". Who says to a child to stop feeling?" She asked bitterly, looking out over the pond once more.

"And so you never accepted it, you have never accepted who you are." Hiccup concluded as Elsa sighed and nodded her head.

"I haven't been able to, I have used my power but I have seen it as a tool, not something I want to have. But what you said to me last night… I know that you are right, I need to embrace it, it is a part of me and I never struggled before Anna's accident. I loved it. Sure my parents made certain it was a secret, but at least I was allowed to use it."

"You can get there again." Hiccup told her as she sent him a grateful, but also slightly skeptical look.

"How do you know? How can you be certain that I will?" She asked, staring at her hands with doubt. Seeing the look on her face, Hiccup reached out and took them in his own, turning them over as he held them next to his so they could see the contrasts. Her skin was pale, soft and glowing in the moonlight. His was hardened and darker, covered with burns and scars from years of working with dragons and in the blacksmith.

"Do you remember what I told you about my dad putting me to work in the blacksmith?" He asked her, trying to ignore the tingles that seemed to travel through him when Elsa suddenly began tracing some of the hard edges on his palm.

"Yes of course." She told him while she traced a burn he had gotten from a young Monstrous Nightmare that had once exploded by accident, her ice cold fingers feeling strangely comforting.

"He did it to try and change me, to bulk me up and try to make me more of a Viking." Hiccup said and at his words, Elsa looked up at him with a small frown.

"Why would he do that?" She asked and Hiccup couldn't help to smile at her words, though there was no warmth behind it, his own resentment slowly waking up inside.

"Vikings are supposed to be hard, though, stubborn and fierce. I was none of those things, well except for the stubbornness part I suppose." He said, feeling a bit happy when he saw the smile that spread over her face.

"But apart from that, I was everything a Viking was not supposed to be. I was an outsider from the day I could walk and that my dad was the most fierce Viking of all didn't help. While the other Vikings my age trained with their swords or were beating each other up, I sat in a small room Gobber had fixed for me and did drawings of ideas and inventions. I was clumsy and always in the way; it was actually the general view that it probably had been better if I had gone away."

"That's horrible." Elsa said sadly, Hiccup giving her a pointed look.

"Says the the who was locked up in her room alone all of her childhood. Anyway, Gobber, he kept me going, supporting me as much as he could. It finally changed when I found Toothless and I accepted that I was different, for had I not been I would have killed him. Me being different gave me my best friend." At his words, Toothless gave Hiccup an affectionate lick on the hand.

"Things changed after we defeated the Red Death. The dragons moved in and since I had a special connection with them I went from outsider to hero in a very short period of time. But despite all of this I am still different, what has changed is that I have accepted that I will never be like them, I will only be Hiccup." He said, clasping her hands in his once more as he looked into her eyes that were still vulnerable.

"What I mean is that I know how it feels to try and be someone you are not, to change and try to push a part of you away. As you know it doesn't work, it only leaves us angry, unhappy and bitter, but with some time you can change and accept who you are. I have done it; I know you will too." He said and Elsa smiled at him, a strange feeling of warmth spreading within her as she felt how she connected to the man in front of her on a deeper level.

He had known, that was why he had been able to reach through to her when no one else could. They were both outsiders among their own people and they had both been left in loneliness because of it. Hiccup might never have feared himself, but he had just told her that he had wanted to be different. Just like her, he had tried and failed to fit in. In the end he had accepted that no matter what he did, he never fully would either, so why couldn't she do the same? Before her sat a man who had managed to do what she wished more than anything and she knew it was time to embrace that she was different, and that she always would be.

"Feeling better?" Hiccup asked her, having noticed the display of emotions running over her face.

"Yes, better than in a very long time actually. Thank you." She told him with a warm smile and for the first time in nearly twenty years, she didn't feel the cold place in her heart that had been present for so long, the one telling her that the person opposite of her saw her as a freak or as unnatural. Instead her heart felt warm, almost expanding a little in her chest when she looked into Hiccup's kind green eyes that told her that he knew and that to him, she was simply a person, nothing less, nothing more.

For the first time the warmth seemed to come from within.

"Your welcome." Hiccup told her as Toothless laid down his head next to them again, his body a silent protector in the night as they sat in silence for a while, Elsa still comparing his hands to hers. They were so different, even the men at court had hands that were soft and without any injuries since they had never really done a hard day's work. Hiccup's were not soft and she found that she was a little intrigued by how hands that were so hardened from work could still appear to be soft, but also gentle.

"How did you get this?" She asked, looking at an especially nasty scar at the end of his right thumb.

"It's actually from a terrible terror." He said, chuckling at her slightly surprised expression. "Their claws are a lot sharper than they look like."

"Remind me of that next time Sharpshot wants to sit on my shoulder." Elsa told him, thinking about how the small dragon had made it his new favorite spot. "So, Inferno, how does it work?" She asked and Hiccup smiled at her before telling her about the sword, showing her both how the blade that could be retracted and how he could exchange the small canister with gas to create an explosion from the one of the lighters, telling her that the other lighter made the nightmare saliva ignite and the sword flame up.

"It's amazing." She said with an impressed expression as he pulled out the sword at her request and allowed it to flame up once again. "Looks like we are opposites." At his slightly confused expression, she smiled at him. "Fire and ice." She said, gesturing to his sword before making a small snowflake appear in her hand.

"I suppose you could say that, though I can hardly shoot fire from my hands." Hiccup chuckled, putting Inferno away once more.

"Well, a flaming sword is nearly as good." She laughed, her smile slowly dying as she looked away from him and out over the pond, the lightness in the air around them suddenly disappearing as she felt she needed to ask him about what troubled her so much still, hoping she wasn't making a mistake. "Hiccup?" She said in a quiet, hesitating voice.

"Yes?"

"When you found Toothless, did you ever feel that you could have gotten revenge for all those years? That you could have changed their minds? Did you resent them so much for what they had done that you wanted to just take over and prove them wrong?" Looking at him, Hiccup saw the vulnerability in her eyes once again and around them it was as if time had stopped.

Looking at her, Hiccup understood her fear, her fear that the dark side telling her all of this wasn't natural. It made him only now fully understand what she had meant when she had talked about a cold heart. But he had already been where she was now, he still was to some point, and he didn't judge her or find that he thought her to be a cruel person for ever thinking of revenge. Instead he understood for he knew how hard that dark part was to ignore.

He could have chosen to not open up to her about this part of himself, the part that he had never shared with anyone else before since he was ashamed of it, but the thought never even crossed his mind when he knew that she would understand and that he could help her.

"I did." Hiccup therefore answered her honestly, and at the relief in her eyes he knew he had been right. "I remember the feeling; it would have been so easy when I had Toothless. But it was not who I was and he was my best friend, thanks to that I choose a different path." Now it was he who hesitated a moment before adding. "Does that change how you look at me, do think that a part of me is cold as well?"

As soon as he asked the question, Hiccup felt how much he actually feared her answer, but when she shook her head and looked at him with honesty he felt himself relax once more.

"No, no of course not!" She said, quiet for a while before she continued. "When those men tried to kill me, I wanted to kill them. They had taken away my life and now they were also trying to end it, I wanted to punish them all. But when Prince Hans called out to me, I knew what he said was true, that if I went down that path it wasn't because it was who I was, I would have only become what they believed me to be. I would not have proved them wrong; I would have proved them right. So I managed to push the darkness away." She said and they looked at each other in understanding.

They had both had risked turning into tyrants made from their pasts, but they had somehow managed to fight against the path that could have been natural for both of them. Still, it had left scars and fears that the darkness was unnatural, but someone else had felt it and that was some relief. They were not cold or full of hate, they could have been, but instead they chosen paths that made them who they really were, people who had overcome it but where a part of it had stayed behind.

And just like that, it was as if the night breathed out again and an old troll high up in the mountains opened his eyes with a smile as he felt how the path turned in a new direction, one that, if things turned out the best they could would cause the darkness in the two souls to slowly turn into nothing but a dark memory. It would never disappear, but it would no longer be a presence.

"It's strange that the man who almost killed me also saved me." Elsa said, both she and Hiccup unaware of the tension that had been flowing around them. At her words, Toothless and Hiccup shared a look.

"Not so very strange I think, after all I tried to kill the one who saved me." Hiccup replied as Elsa smiled at him, warmth spreading within when she looked at the man in front of her and she was grateful she had risked to let him in, for it had turned out it had been one of her best decisions in a long time.

"No, perhaps it's not so strange after all." She said, feeling how the emotional toll was finally getting to her and how tired she really was. "I think I'll head back, thank you for listening Hiccup, for trusting me and for telling me I am not alone." She said before, on a sudden whim, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight."

And with those words Elsa rose and walked back to the castle, Hiccup looking after her in silence, his face beat red as he tried to understand what had just happened, only coming back to reality when he saw Toothless' smug look.

"Stop looking at me like that." He muttered, feeling even more embarrassed when his best friend only chuckled.

"If you say anything more I will put eel in your food for a week." Hiccup added with a threatening voice, Toothless only going back to sleep, seemingly completely unfazed by the threat while Hiccup looked out over the pond, ignoring the way his skin still tingled.

* * *

The week that followed was a roller-coaster of trails and figuring out the best way to handle the aftermath of what had happened the night when Mr. Beltham had followed Elsa into her study. The Vikings had not been allowed to leave since Hiccup and Fredrik were the only witnesses, not that anyone doubted what had happened.

This, however, was not the only reason why the Vikings stayed, for they would have stayed anyway to see that everything would turn out in the best way. What had surprised them all during the passing week though was the discretion and efficiency that had been shown by everyone at every step of the way.

Lord Beltham had written his oldest and only son out of his will, despite Lady Beltham's angry protests, while the trail had only been a forced formal event. The punishment, prison, had already been decided and while everything had followed the correct procedure, the judges had never even talked amongst each other, they had simply convicted Mr. Beltham for crimes against the crown.

Fishelgs had followed the whole trial with interest, always curios to learn as much as possible, but Hiccup had only been present the day he had been forced to witness. When he had entered the small courtroom he had seen that Elsa wasn't present, not that he had been surprised, the Vikings had spent a lot of time with the royal family during the past week and he knew Elsa had chosen to participate as little as possible in the trail.

Now when it was over, it was almost as if a tiny vacuum had fallen over the royal court. Things had just gotten back to normal despite the fact that so much was different. No one really dared to talk about the subject loudly, but everyone was still talking about it quietly. One thing was sure though, and that was that Elsa didn't blame Lord Beltham for his son, Mr. Beltham not even actually being his, and she had made it clear on the first meeting she had with her council after the attack.

It had now been nearly a week since the trail finished and to get the royal family some room to breathe the Vikings had invited them down to the cottages. All of them had eagerly accepted the invitation, Rapunzel immediately planning that they could turn it into a picnic and bring food from the kitchens. It had been good for all of them to get out of the castle, all of them enjoying the simpler setting as they laughed and joked amongst each other.

They had all grown closer during the past week, the rest of the royal family extremely grateful towards Hiccup for having seen what they missed, but then things like hardships had a tendency of bringing people together.

As Elsa now looked at the people surrounding her there was no cold in her heart anymore, it was still there more often than not, but among these people she had finally allowed herself to feel accepted. At times, the bad memories of the night when Mr. Beltham had come into her study surfaced to the front of her mind and would weigh her down, for it was still too close in time for them to have disappeared. Amazingly though, it had turned out that Hiccup had become very good at reading her, often sending her an encouraging smile across the room or a pointed look that helped her break out of her dark memories, memories of his warm arms and their talk by the pond pushing them away.

If anything good had come out of what had happened, it was her friendship with the Chief. After their talk down by the pond, they had gotten a deeper understanding of each other that had changed their friendship. Hiccup had also shown her more of his work and ideas when she had told him of her own deep love for mathematics and architecture and soon they had been in a deep discussion about one of his drawings, both of them coming to realize how much they had missed someone to discuss their ideas with.

"Are you two talking about numbers again?" Astrid called from across the fire, having seen how both Elsa and Hiccup was one again sitting with a couple of papers, talking quietly with each other while they pointed at them or changed things with a pencil they took from each other when they needed it. The sight had become very common, just like the slightly startled looks on their faces when someone pulled them out of that strange world only they seemed to understand.

"We are; I am trying to explain to your Chief that this doesn't add up." Elsa answered, holding up the paper they had been working with, pointing at a very strange equation that no one else really understood and the rest of the group looked at each other.

"Just for the peace of the family I will say Elsa is right." Eugene stated, Rapunzel sending him an amused look while Anna chuckled.

"Well, as I have already told the Queen, we already have similar constructions on Berk, it will hold." Hiccup replied, a slightly irritated look on his face while Elsa's turned emotionless.

"The mass from the dragons can't possibly be equivalent to the strength or support!" She said, her eyes telling everyone that she was not going to back down.

"Here we go again." Eugene whispered to the others who just snickered, Anna shaking her head slightly. It had been quite entertaining over last week to see how often Elsa and Hiccup would get into an argument over a subject they both refused to back down from. The longer it went on, the clearer the contrast between them would become, for while Hiccup would gesture with his hands or start pacing around, Elsa would turn cold and emotionless.

Usually it all ended with Hiccup walking away so they both could cool off before they would come to a truce, neither one ever admitting that they were wrong.

"So how long do you think it will take this time?" Kristoff snickered as they all watched how the faces of the two rulers started to become more and more frustrated.

"Four minutes." Eugene answered with a smile, the two men nodding to each other while Rapunzel and Anna glared at them.

"Are you two betting on them?" Anna asked with an angry expression, Kristoff looking a little uncomfortable.

"Uhmm…." He began.

"No way it will take so long, Hiccup will leave in two minutes." Astrid interrupted with a grin, the two women sighing while Kristoff and Eugene grinned back at her.

"How about we make this more interesting, let's give the ones who lose some sort of punishment." Eugene said.

"Fine, you two lose, you'll clean after Stormily for a week." Astrid said, both Eugene and Kristoff looking at her with huge eyes. "You are not scared are you?" She asked with a challenging look, the two men looking at each other.

"Of course not." Eugene said before an evil smirk slowly spread over his face. "And if we win you will have to wear a dress a whole dinner up at the castle." At his words both Anna and Rapunzel smiled at each other excitingly while Astrid looked as if she was seriously considering not going through with the bet. "You are not afraid are you?" Eugene told her with a smirk, Astrid sending him a glare.

"In your dreams!" She exclaimed angrily.

"Good, Fishlegs will be the judge." Eugene said, Fishlegs clearing his throat.

"So just one last question to be answered then, who will win of our two leaders?" He said.

"Elsa, without a doubt." Astrid replied. The women had actually bonded quite well and even though they had their differences, they had also developed a mutual respect for each other.

"My money is on Hiccup." Kristoff said.

"Mine too and just so you know Astrid, it's looking really bad for you if Hiccup doesn't rise to leave about…" Eugene began only to trail off when Hiccup rose from his place next to Elsa, Astrid grinning.

"It's like talking to a block of ice!" Hiccup exclaimed with frustration, but unlike what usually happened Elsa rose as well and walked after him.

"Don't you dare walk away from this once again, you can't always just walk away as soon as you feel like it." She exclaimed angrily. It was strange seeing her so relied up and the others wondered what Hiccup had said this time, the two having an uncanny ability to push each others buttons.

"Yeah well, there is no point in talking to someone who won't listen!" Hiccup retorted turning around with a frustrated expression.

"That's because saying that "I just know" or "that's the way it is" is not a valid argument!" Elsa said, crossing her arms.

"No, but it does work and until we figure out why, you just have to accept it, but you are too stubborn to do that!" Hiccup told her.

"If people were just to accept that the world is a certain way we would never move forward." Elsa said, Hiccup giving a frustrated sigh, taking a step closer to her.

"I am not saying we should let this go, but I am saying that right now it doesn't matter. You know what?! I think this simply have to do with the fact that I won't back down on this and you can't talk your way around it!" While he was speaking he had walked closer to her and while Elsa still glared at him, the others suddenly felt a little uncomfortable watching the argument, for it suddenly seemed like the air around them had begun to crackle a little.

If it was from the fact that they just clashed, Elsa looking cold while Hiccup's frustration rolled off of him, or if it was from something else was impossible to say though. The two leaders however, seemed completely unaware of the high tension between them.

"Says the man who has talked my whole council under the table." Elsa snapped, refusing to admit she had already lost.

"You know what, until that wall you have built up has disappeared, I am not talking to you about this anymore!" Hiccup said with frustration, turning around once more to walk away and allow his burning frustration cool off.

"I swear to God… Could you stop doing that?!" Elsa exclaimed, throwing out her hands in frustration and a blast of ice flew from her them and froze Hiccup's metal leg to the ground. The silence that followed was thick enough to be cut with a knife as everyone stared at the pair, wondering what was about to happen next.

Hiccup was looking down at the ice with a frown before he turned to Elsa, who he could see had a slightly terrified expression on her face, though she hid it very well.

"You know if you want to freeze my arguments into silence it will not help much if you freeze my feet to the ground." He told her with a pointed look and, to everyone's amusement, Elsa sent him a slightly sheepish smile before dissolving the ice. It was very rare to see Elsa embarrassed and it was always a little fun when it happened.

What they missed however was the grateful look Elsa sent to Hiccup and the small smile he sent in reply, or everyone missed it except for Astrid who felt her stomach clench slightly at the sight.

"Good thing it was your metal leg and not your real one so there really was nothing..." Elsa began, a sudden revelation came to her. "That's it! They must be hollow!" She exclaimed with an excited look on her face while everyone else stared at her as if she was crazy. "The dragon's bones, they must be hollow like the bones of birds, that's how it adds up!" She told them to clarify, everyone else still staring at each other in confusion except for Hiccup who grinned at her.

"So I was right." He told her while Elsa sent him a new glare.

"I never said that, I said that if the bones are hollow the mass will change." Elsa replied.

"Which means that the equation adds up." Hiccup answered.

"No it doesn't, I need to change some numbers, _then_ it will add up." She told him, crossing her arms over her chest with a smug look, but Hiccup only kept on smiling at her.

"In yours perhaps, I bet mine is already perfectly fine." He replied and Elsa looked at him with huge eyes, realizing that he was probably right and there was really no way she could argue against it.

"Well… at least I solved it." She said, everyone knowing that was the closest she would ever come to admitting she had been wrong.

"NO!" At the terrified voice, Hiccup and Elsa remembered the rest of their company and they turned to see Astrid having a look of terror on her face while the others were laughing, even having some trouble breathing.

"What is going on?" Elsa asked them, sharing a confused look with Hiccup who only shrugged his shoulders.

"These three nutheads betted on which one of you who would win the fight and Astrid just lost." Fishlegs managed to get out, even ignoring Astrid's glare.

"Wait, you betted on who would win our argument?" Elsa said, not knowing if she should find it funny or be irritated.

"Yes and how long it would take before Hiccup tried to walk off." Eugene snickered.

"That part Astrid won." Anna filled in, the group suddenly looking at each other with huge eyes. "Wait, you won one half each!" Anna said.

"That means it's a tie!" Astrid said, a look of relief on her face.

"No wait, Fishlegs is the judge, you have to decide which guess should give most points." Eugene argued, Fishlegs looking at Astrid with nervously.

"Uhm…."

"You cannot seriously be considering giving them a win on this!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Well technically…."

"Fishlegs you are not seriously telling us you don't want us to win this." Kristoff said, the poor Viking looking between the three contestants.

"You know what, I don't know what this is all about, but this is ridiculous!" Elsa exclaimed, the group turning to look at her while Hiccup looked at her with a smile. "Fishlegs, may I propose that since they didn't decide in the beginning if one guess would outweigh the other, the only logical solution is that it is a tie. That means they will now have to decide if they _all_ wish to do the punishment or if they all shall be freed from it. But I am not the judge of course, the choice is yours." Elsa said, looking at Fishlegs who nodded his head, staring into her eyes while she smiled at him.

"I think that sounds like a good solution." He said.

"Wonderful!" Elsa said happily before turning back to Hiccup who was doing his best not to laugh, the rest of the group already teasing Fishlegs who had gotten a little red in the face.

"What?" She asked him, feeling how it tingled a little inside at the amused look he sent her.

"Nothing, I just feel a little sad for Fishlegs that he would have to prove my point." He told her.

"What point?" Elsa replied, doing her best to hold back her own smile as they returned to their seats.

"That you always talk around people to get your point and will across." He told her, Elsa feeling a slight blush on her cheeks that she quickly pushed back.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She said instead.

"Of course not, just remind me to warn the poor man you possibly turn your sights to in the future, he will never survive otherwise." Hiccup grinned at her, Elsa answering by hitting him lightly in the side with her elbow, the action only causing them both to laugh. Looking into Hiccup's warm eyes that seemed to reflect the fire, Elsa felt the surge of warmth that every so often now had a tendency to go through her when she looked at him.

She knew that Hiccup was right, she wanted a man who challenged her and was not afraid to do it, but she would never admit it to the Viking. _That_ would make him unbearable.

"Hiccup, could you come over here a moment?" Astrid called from the other side of the campfire, Hiccup nodding to her, rising before offering his hand to Elsa.

"Afraid they will team up on you?" She asked him with a smile, accepting his hand without a second thought. It was still a little strange how an action that had once caused her so much distress and that had needed so much trust now felt so complete natural.

"Would you call me a coward if I said yes?" He chuckled, referring to the fact that they over the last week had been forced to join forces, along with Toothless, against the rest of the group when they tried to tease them too much about their work.

Across from the fire they missed the sad eyes that was watching them, and even though Elsa joined Anna and Rapunzel in their conversation, Astrid could not help to feel some resentment towards the Queen simply because Hiccup had actually taken her with him. At the same time, he was Hiccup, it would not have been him to leave her sitting alone. Telling herself this, Astrid once more reminded herself that they were soon going home to Berk and hopefully things would go back to normal.

Hopefully the lighter side of Hiccup she had started to see again the past week would remain so they could go back to where they had been before all of this started.

* * *

 **That was chapter 12, what did you think and what about the little fight between our couple? Was it just two elements clashing or was there tension of another kind? I don't know, tell me in a review, or tell me anything you like! The next chapter will probably be up till Halloween and things will happen, that's all I can say!**

 **Until next time dear readers!**  
 **/Lysistrate**


	13. Chapter 13

**Problematic chapter; check! This has been not so fun to write (so much emotion I was about to go crazy!) but challenges are good I suppose! Now there was a scene in this chapter I wanted to include so much, but it had to be cut out and is only mentioned instead, maybe I will post it as an outtake sometime, you never know. Will you be able to guess it?**

 **Also I have gotten some questions about the timeline, so here it comes;**

 **The story begins about 6 months after Frozen, while the Vikings arrive about 6 months after that, so the first time Elsa and Hiccup meet it has been about a year since her coronation while it has been about two years after HTTYD 2. So something like that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! Me and my friends renamed the holiday Hallowin (a little silly I know ;) ) just because two of them are terrified of everything that's scary, but also because we celebrated with some wine haha! Now I will allow you to continue and I do hope you will like the chapter which... uhm... yeah... just keep on reading :D**

 **Laidyx:** Haha yes the fight was something and their relationship will now start do develop, though you might be a little mad at me after this chapter haha! As for Astrid and Elsa, I think it's a risk they might have some sort of confrontation, but that only might happen in the future, I like of our leading ladies and do hope they can get along ;)

 **Guest:** So happy to hear you like the story, hope you will enjoy this new chapter as well! :D

* * *

13.

The royal family was sitting in one of the smaller rooms they normally retreated to after dinner. The Vikings had just left to retire for the night and they were all sitting in comfortable silence in front of the fire, Elsa looking through a book she had in her lap while the others watched the burning flames.

"It will be so quiet." Anna suddenly said quietly, everyone looking at her. "I mean not only are the Vikings traveling home tomorrow, but you are as well." She said, looking with sad eyes at Eugene and Rapunzel.

"We will just have to make sure that we don't wait so long to see each other next time, you are all welcome to Corona whenever you like, you know that." Rapunzel said, the two women smiling at each other.

"Well, it was quite a while since I saw my Godchildren, I miss the two little whirlwinds." Anna replied sounding a little happier, Eugene groaning a little.

"All the sleep we have gotten; it will only be memory once more." He said, though everyone could see the that he didn't mean it the slightest, they all knew both Rapunzel and Eugene dearly missed the twins and they couldn't wait to see them again.

"You are free to go to Corona whenever you like Anna; I can always make sure someone can help you with your duties and dealings while you are gone, the same applies for Kristoff." Elsa said, looking up from the book in her lap with a smile, having been listening in on the conversation.

"Thank you, but I think we both want to settle down a little." She said, taking Kristoff's hand as they smiled at each other. "You should take the opportunity to go though, we could keep things under control here, you haven't had a day off for years Elsa." Anna said, sending Elsa a pointed look while her sister only shook her head.

"I am perfectly content staying here. Besides, I have too much to do, just tonight I got a letter from Lord Lejionhufvud who wanted to show me some of his ideas for old windmill, thankfully I could make room for him in the morning."

"Anna is actually right Elsa, you always work, we all need time to relax." Rapunzel said, a slightly worried look on her face. She knew the huge amount of pressure Elsa been under, not only having to conceal her power but having to take over after her parents from such a young age, for even though she hadn't been Queen Elsa had been sure to be a part of ruling the country despite how controversial it had been.

"If you can count the work with Hiccup work." Eugene added, Elsa sending him a small glare.

"I don't think doing what you love, even if it has to do with numbers, can be counted as work actually." Kristoff said, Elsa glaring at him instead.

"Is this never going to get old?" She said drily, the others chuckling.

"We are just teasing, it's just you two go into this world where no one else can follow you, it's actually a little intriguing to watch." Anna answered.

"As intriguing as it might be, it's still starting to get a little annoying how everyone keeps pointing it out." Elsa muttered, the subject having come up more and more often lately.

"Come on Elsa, don't be so serious all the time. The way you act sometimes one might think you are worried we will think you have started to develop feelings for a certain tall, dark haired, green eyed…" Eugene gave a shout as a pile of snow suddenly appeared in the air above him and fell on top of his head, the others laughing when he flew up from his place next to Rapunzel and began brushing it off, stammering how cold it was.

"You were saying, dear cousin?" Elsa asked, looking at him with a sweet smile and eyes that glittered with mischievous laughter.

"We decided no magic, it's not fair on any level!" Eugene exclaimed, Elsa just chuckling as she closed her book and rose from her seat.

"No, you decided that after the last time I cowered you in snow, I never agreed to that proposition. Besides, I told you, the teasing is starting to get old, even Astrid told you so last night and that's saying something. Now I have to retire if I am to get any sleep at all, goodnight." Elsa said, giving them all a warm smile and Anna a kiss before walking out of the room.

"She is so in denial." Eugene said as a joke and while they all chuckled, Rapunzel could not help to think that there might be more truth to her husband's words than he let on, after all the same thought had hit her as well and she knew Eugene was extremely good at reading people.

The reason for her to think there might have started to grow something more than just friendship between Elsa and Hiccup was that too many times over the last weeks she had noticed how their eyes would linger on the other, or how their eyes would travel to other when someone else was talking. There had also been moments when a hand had lingered just a second too long or they had smiled at each other a bit too warmly.

Still there had been no other indications and if you overlooked these moments, it was clear that the two leaders were friends and that that friendship was built on a mutual trust. Sure they argued, but they also listened to each other, both having learned that they were not going to get anywhere if they simply wanted to go in their own direction. When they were working, they were always completely professional, the easy way they interacted never shining through once they were acting in their positions of Queen and Chief.

Only one time had Rapunzel seen Hiccup gesture something about the lady next to him to Elsa during a dinner that had forced her cousin to hide a laugh behind her hands, composing her features as quickly as she could so the man next to her wouldn't notice, but Rapunzel had seen that Elsa's eyes had not been as focused as before after that.

When the dinner later was done though, Hiccup and Elsa had not sought each other up to talk about whatever they had "talked" about during dinner, instead they had both kept on acting fully professional all night, only speaking to each other once when Lord Anckarloo had brought them together to discuss something with him.

That it was hard to draw any conclusions about their relationship was, in one word, difficult indeed.

Someone who had not been hard to read though was Fishlegs. The man had tried to hide his crush on Elsa and managed fairly well, but it was still painfully obvious. Rapunzel had to admit that Elsa had been extremely kind to him though, especially considering how she usually brushed off all men quite harshly. Instead she had gracefully shown Fishlegs that she was not interested in anything except friendship and they all knew the Viking was aware of this, the two having managed to connect despite his feelings for her.

Considering everything, Rapunzel knew she could be imagining and reading to much into things when it came to Elsa and Hiccup, but her gut told her that she wasn't and if the couple had developed some kind of feelings towards each other, Rapunzel didn't even know if Hiccup and Elsa had noticed it themselves.

Still, thinking back to the last few days, there had been a sadness that had entered Elsa's eyes the when she had looked at the Chief, while Hiccup's eyes had lingered on Elsa more often than before as if he was trying to remember her. They had sought each others company as much as they could and even though they had interacted with everyone else, there had been a sad aura present around them.

So no matter how much she hoped that Elsa was still in the dark, Rapunzel had a feeling she wasn't and she didn't think Hiccup was either. All she could hope for was that they wouldn't find out about it now when Hiccup was leaving and neither could follow the other.

* * *

"Yes I think it would work very well, you have my full consent to continue Lord Lejionhufvud (Lionhead), it will be satisfying to see the old windmill up and running again." Elsa said, the young Lord smiling at her.

"Thank you, your majesty!" He replied as he started to pack up his drawings from only free the table in her study.

"You have done all the work sir, I have simply given you permission and some advice on the way. Your father would be very proud of you; I am sure of it." Elsa replied, feeling a bit sad when talking about the old Lord who had been a good friend to her family.

"Thank you, Queen Elsa. I have trained my whole life for this and I still feel unprepared for the challenge. I am sure you felt the same." He said looking at her with sad brown eyes.

"Losing a parent is never something you can prepare for and following in their footsteps is always a big responsibility, we can only do the best we can, hoping to make them proud." She said, remembering the weight of responsibility. She still felt it every day.

"It is; I think about my father every day hoping to make him proud, that's why I do this, I know he wanted the old mill to be put into use once more." The young lord sighed before picking up the last of his drawings. "I will make sure to keep you updated on our progress. Thank you once again for seeing me on such short notice your majesty, I know there is a lot to be settled before the Vikings and your cousins leave today."

"It is but it was my pleasure, now good day Lord Lejionhufvud." Elsa said with a small smile, the man wishing her the same, bowing to her before walking out of the room. With a sigh, Elsa turned to look at the disarray of papers spread over her desk the table which had been placed next to it. It was a mix of drawings, plans and maps, some she was sending with Hiccup to Berk while some they had used in their work during the past weeks. There was a strange mix of old and new papers, showing just how much they had dug through her library the pat few weeks.

The Vikings stay, which originally had been planned to only a week, had turned into a five weeks instead. In the beginning it had been prolonged because of what happened with Mr. Beltham, but as she and Hiccup had gotten lost in one of his projects, the stay had been stretched out until they were finished, which had only been two days ago, the Vikings using the past two days to pack up their things.

Looking at the mess on her table, Elsa knew she would lie if she said she wasn't going to miss all of them. Just as Anna had said last night the castle would be empty without her cousins and the Vikings, all of them having been a breath of fresh air to the usually dull court which only consisted of the same people doing their best to climb the ranks and in her esteem.

The Vikings hadn't done this and she thought this was why they had connected so well, not only the royal family, but with everyone.

Astrid had become highly appreciated amongst the royal guard, the men having asked her to show them some tricks and even train them when she had the time, an offer she had gladly accepted, the men both regretting their question later on and knowing it was the best question they had ever asked.

Fishlegs on the other hand had spent most of his time with Elsa and Hiccup. While he hadn't worked with them, he had been overjoyed when Elsa had offered him access to her library and had always been present when they were together, lost in his own world of trying to gain as much knowledge about the world as possible.

When it came to her and Hiccup's relationship, it had deepened. The more they had gotten to know each other, the more relaxed she kept feeling in his company and the warmer she started to feel when he was around. She had also begun to notice that she would miss him when he was not there, even if it meant that she was just missing the comfortable silence they so often shared when they worked together.

During the time they had spent with each other, Elsa had come to notice how Hiccup would start playing around with a pen or any other object when he was in deep thought, his eyebrows furrowing slightly when he was challenged with a problem he couldn't solve while his green eyes would turn stubborn. Sometimes she would ask if he needed help, others she watched him until she saw the moment when he found the answer, his mouth turning into a small smile, a slightly triumphant look in his eyes.

She had very much come to enjoy his simple company. She valued his opinions and she knew he was always honest with her. He was not afraid to speak his mind, no matter if he knew she would like his opinion or not, and she found that it both intrigued her and made her trust for him to grow.

It would be strange to have him leave now after all this time, and Elsa realized that she would even miss the way they had been forced to partner up against the constant teasing they had suffered from the others, both having become slightly tired of constantly having to hear little comments about their friendship.

Thankfully, the others had never spoken about the subject when people outside of the family were present and Elsa could accept their teasing since she knew it was just that; teasing. After all, she and Hiccup were just friends and nothing more. That, at times, her heart would flutter when he looked at her with his intense green eyes, or that she would feel a strange warmth in her heart when he looked at her with eyes filled with laughter, meant nothing at all.

She had come to the conclusion that this probably only happened because she was so unused to let someone in as much as she had let Hiccup in, for it could be nothing else.

Sure he made her laugh and they had opened up about to each other more and more, she had even taken him up to her ice palace late one night. It had been about two weeks after their talk by the pond when she had approached him after dinner, saying that she wanted to show him her palace of solitude. Hiccup had not questioned anything about her strange request, instead she had seen that he knew it was not simply about her wanting to show him the palace she had built. They had met up by the pond in the middle of the night and flown on Toothless high up into the Northern mountains, Elsa finding some calm from his warmth in the cold night.

It had been the first time Elsa returned to her palace since she had been taken away by prince Hans and the guards. The need to return had grown stronger the more she had started to accept herself, for she had felt more and more that she need to return to get some kind of closure. The only thing that had bothered her had been the fact that she hand't wanted to go alone.

Hiccup had been the natural choice for her. He knew of the dark emotions connected to the place, how it felt to be alone, and in the end she had been happy she had brought him along, for he had helped her overcome the dark memories which had flooded through her once she stepped through the palace doors.

He had been a stable pillar, a friendly shoulder she could lean on, just as she had been later that night when he had told her more about his past and how hard he had struggled to fit in, a struggle that, in a way, very much differed from her own and still was so painfully similar.

They had been there for each other, like friends always were and now she was going to miss him very dearly, like one missed your best friend.

A knock on the door made her jump slightly and she realized she had been so lost in her thoughts she had not even begun sorting the papers. Collecting her racing thoughts, she turned her attention to the papers as she called out for the one who had knocked to enter, young Fredrik appearing in the doorway.

"Hiccup is here to see you, your majesty." He said in a small voice, the boy still a little unsure how he should act around her. Elsa had been certain to let him know about the deep gratitude she felt towards him, Hiccup having told her he never would have found her had it not been for the young boy, but Fredrik still had a hard time letting go off the fact he, if he had followed protocol, shouldn't have brought Hiccup to her room that night.

"Chief Haddock, Fredrik." Elsa scolded him kindly, knowing he could not slip up if others were around.

"Sorry, Queen Elsa." Fredrik said, a slight blush of shame on his cheeks.

"No need to apologize, just don't let Mr. Karlsson hear you." She replied, winking at the young boy who sent her a smile, relief in his eyes, before disappearing just as Hiccup walked into the room with a smile of his own. He was dressed in his leather armor and Elsa felt a small pang in her chest once more, the sight reminding her of the fact that they were all soon about to leave.

"He is something special that one." Hiccup said, walking over to her, his eyes landing on all of the papers that lay over the table just like they had left them the day before. "Looks like someone's been a bit distracted." He told her with a grin, Elsa sending him a small playful glare.

"As it happens, I have a lot on my mind. Besides, most of these papers are yours and not mine, so are you going to help me or not?"

"Bossy are we?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow, his green eyes full of humor while Elsa ignored the way it made her heart flutter a little. It was another strange thing that had started to happen recently and it was one she both liked and hated equally.

"Considering I have learned that's the only way to deal with you stubborn Vikings, yes I am. And if you don't help me I will make sure that these papers never leave the castle." She replied with as much threat in her voice she could, knowing she failed pretty badly when Hiccup looked completely unfazed by her words.

"The wrath of the Snow Queen, it will sting like a paper cut, all beware of her mighty threats of not covering you in books." He said with chuckle, Elsa making a snowball appear in her hand. Seeing the more real threat, Hiccup held up his hand, Elsa noticing the worn old leather book in it for the first time. "Peace?" He asked her with a smile, handing her worn book as she looked at it with curios eyes.

It was quite heavy and the pages did not appear to be equally large or even of the same material. Opening it, Elsa could not help to let out a small gasp, looking up at Hiccup with huge eyes.

"You are not allowed to keep it I'm afraid, but since you said you wanted to see Berk…" Hiccup shrugged as he trailed off, Elsa flipping through the first few pages, filled with wonder.

It was a book filled with drawings that were so extremely detailed that they almost appeared to be alive. The skill and handiwork was exceptional and while Elsa had known Hiccup could draw extremely well, she had seen his designs, this was on a new level.

This was art, it was amazing.

"That's Gobber and my mom along with their dragons in front of the blacksmith." Hiccup said, having walked up next to her, his warmth rolling towards her as she suddenly felt how her mind started to have a problem with focusing fully on the beautiful drawings, wanting more to focus on the fact that he was standing so close to her.

Maybe she really needed a vacation?

"She is beautiful." Elsa replied, looking at Hiccup's mother who wore a warm smile, a huge dragon sitting behind her. The picture was black and white, but there was a warmth in it that told her how much these people meant to Hiccup, even without having heard the warmth in his voice. Flipping to another page, she saw Astrid and Fishlegs around a fire with a group of other Vikings about their own age, Elsa remembering something.

"Wasn't Astrid joining us?" She asked.

"She was but she was held up down at the training area so I didn't want to disturb her since I thought we could begin, which you so clearly have already done." He replied, Elsa hitting him lightly in the side with the book. "I think Astrid's tendency for violence is rubbing off on you." Hiccup chuckled.

"Or maybe it's simply the fact that you are so highly annoying we have no other choice. Now go and pack, I deserve a small brake." Elsa replied, Hiccup only shaking his head with a smile before starting to look over the papers on the desk, Elsa turning back to the drawings.

As she looked at the pages, her mind, which seemed to go in every direction didn't want it to, brought her the realization that this was the first time in weeks she and Hiccup had been alone, not counting that one time she had brought him with her up into the mountains.

It was not that the company of the others had been unwanted, quite the opposite, but only now did she realize that Astrid had almost always been present, having even joined them in the library for a while before Fishlegs started joining them frequently. Even at dinners, where they had gotten the chance to speak on their own very often, the times had become less frequent the longer the Vikings had stayed in Arendelle.

Still it was probably not much to it, she could understand that the Vikings missed their home and that being close to each other was a way of connecting to Berk. After all, they had more and more started speaking about their home, conversations she and the other couldn't fully join in on.

What these conversations had done though was increasing Elsa's curiosity about their strange land and she had asked Hiccup about it, though it had been Astrid who had mostly filled her in, Hiccup taking a step back as his second in command had gladly told Elsa everything she wanted to know. It was had been clear that Astrid was the one who mostly missed Berk, for she was the one who most often brought it into the conversation.

Looking at the drawings, Elsa suddenly felt a longing to travel. She had been only ever visited Corona and Stockholm, and Berk was looking so extremely different from any small town or city she had ever seen. Flipping through the pages, she suddenly froze as her eyes landed on a drawing of herself and her heart started beating a little faster in her chest.

Hiccup had drawn her as she had looked that night when they had had their talk down by the pond, it had to be that night for she was wearing her coat. Her hair hung over her shoulders, her eyes gazing out over the pond and there was a soft expression on her face, but it was also clear how weighed down and troubled she was by something. Looking at the picture, Elsa realized for the first time had far she had gotten, even though she still had a long way to go.

The drawing was done with the same detail as all the others and still there was something about the way Hiccup had painted the background, like it was almost fading away, that made it contrast from all the other drawings. There was a depth to it, to her, that made it feel like she was looking at a mirror and that she at any second could rise and walk off the page.

There was also a strange feeling to it that made it feel like her stomach was suddenly filled with butterflies and she found she couldn't really look away, feeling that she was just about to reach that thought which had been floating just out of her reach for so long now.

"What's this?" Hiccup's curios voice broke the silence and she looked up at him, the thought disappearing as she closed the book and looked at paper he held up to her. It was a painting that showed a very bad attempt at a snowman giving a flower to man, the man consisting of only a head, arms and legs.

Seeing the old painting, Elsa felt a pink blush spread over her face in embarrassment, thinking about the drawings Hiccup had just allowed her to see.

"Nothing." Elsa said, putting the book down on her desk while trying to take the paper away from him, but thanks to Hiccup's fast reflexes he managed to get it out of her reach.

"Wait, you made this?" He asked, quickly drawing the right conclusion, a smile spreading over his face. Looking at him Elsa couldn't help to feel a little amused herself over how fun he apparently seemed to find the information.

"I drew it when I two. You know I am not very good at drawing." She answered with as much dignity she could.

"So you said, but I didn't fully believe you, now I do." Hiccup teased her as he finally put the paper into her range and she could snatch it from him.

"At least I'm not denying it." She smiled at him before looking down at the old painting. "I didn't even know papa had saved it, I was so proud over it that I rushed down here and gave it to him immediately. He was in a meeting but he took it anyway. It was before my powers showed themselves much." She said, feeling how the warmth from the fond memory dulled as the usual feeling of loneliness settled over her.

Seeing how the light and fondness in her eyes died a little, Hiccup placed his hand on Elsa's shoulder and she looked up at him with sad eyes. Giving her shoulder a small squeeze of comfort, he saw how the sadness slowly died away before she sent him a grateful smile. Sending her an encouraging look in return, Hiccup let go of her shoulder, feeling happy that he had been able to offer her some comfort while he fully ignored the way her cold skin still made his hand tingle.

"He was named Fluffy Snowball." Elsa suddenly said, looking at the snowman with a smile while Hiccup sent her with a skeptical look. But to his surprise she seemed to be completely serious.

"Fluffy Snowball?" He asked with disbelief. "And you think we have weird names." He muttered the last part, knowing Elsa had heard him when she laughed.

"I don't know, naming a dragon something like "Fluffy Flyball" could perhaps make people less frightened of them." She replied, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"If I were even to suggest that to my tribe they would think I had become insane. Also, I have yet to encounter a fluffy dragon." Hiccup said, thinking about the stunned faces of his fellow Vikings if anyone had ever suggested a name close to "Fluffy Flyball". No, it was safer for everyone if they never knew.

"Well the day you do encounter a fluffy dragon, you have my full consent and permission to use the name." Elsa told him with a grin.

"Why thank you Queen Elsa, I promise I will consider it very carefully." Hiccup replied, turning back to the papers on the desk before giving a shout of surprise when he was suddenly hit with a gust of snow. Turning around, Elsa was looking at him innocently with her hand raised, not even trying to hide the fact that she had summoned it, not that it could have been anyone else.

"Why do I get the feeling you are mocking me, Chief Haddock?" She asked, trying not to laugh at the fact that the snow had stuck, not only in Hiccup's hair, but in his eyebrows and the small stubble on his face as well.

"You know you should never engage a Viking if you are not ready for the consequences." He answered and at the look in his eyes, Elsa took a small step backwards.

"And why is tha… ahh!" She gave a small shriek as she darted to the left when Hiccup suddenly reached for her, her scream turning into laughter as he began chasing her around the room. Never in her entire life had she felt more silly, or had more fun.

It didn't take long though until Hiccup, who was much faster than her and could take longer steps, got a hold of her around her waist and easily lifted her up from the ground. It was almost as if she weighed nothing at all. Still he somehow managed to loose his balance and they tumbled to the ground, both laughing so much they had to catch their breaths.

"Trying to kidnap the Queen are we Chief Haddock?" Elsa giggled as she turned her head and looked at him, Hiccup already looking at her with intense eyes, blinking when she turned to him as the intense look died away slightly.

"I tried to yes, but it appears my kidnapping days are over." He answered with a grin, the intensity now completely gone, only laughter in his eyes instead.

"I have to agree, considering you can't even seem to capture me correctly." Elsa chuckled, Hiccup reaching over to give her a light shove before rising from the floor, offering her his hand to help her up, an offer she gladly accepted.

Looking at him she noticed how the snow in his hair had begun to melt and, knowing she was responsible, she felt she only owed it to him to fix it.

"Hold on a second." She therefore said, keeping her hold on his hand so he wouldn't turn away as she reached up, freezing the water before dissolving it into the air. On a whim, she then reached out and did something she had wanted to do for quite a while, out of simple curiosity of course, she ran her hand through Hiccup's hair, ruffling it slightly so it fell back in it's normal place.

"There all dry." She said with a smile, ignoring the fact that her heart had picked up speed once more and that her hand seemed to burn slightly, still feeling how soft his hair had been despite always being so unruly. Looking into Hiccup's green eyes, which were once again looking at her as if trying to memorize something, she felt the sadness she had been trying to push away fall over her.

"I will miss our talks." She said, not able to bring herself to say the full truth, that she would miss him, she was going to miss Hiccup.

At her words Hiccup let go off the hand he was still holding on to, only to pull her into a warm hug that she fully returned. Feeling his warmth surround her, she breathed in his scent which she somehow had gotten used to during his stay. It was strange how much his warm arms brought her a sense of belonging and comfort.

The only other times they had hugged was the night he had saved her and the night she had showed him her palace. Both times she had been sad and full of swirling emotions, then she could have understood the feelings. But now? Sure she was a little confused over the emotions swirling within, but it was not in the same way.

So why did she feel so safe in his arms when she actually didn't need a safe haven? Why did she feel that she never wanted him to let go?

"At least I will not have to worry about having my feet frozen to the ground on Berk." Hiccup chuckled, Elsa smiling at the memory of how she accidently had frozen his feet to the ground. It had been something the others had refused to forget, especially when she had done it again another time, though that time it had actually been on purpose.

"No I guess not." She said as they drew back and she looked up at him, taking in his features truly for the first time, feeling that she wanted to remember him since he was going away. Looking at him now, she finally had to admit what she had so fiercely denied from the beginning, that Hiccup actually was very handsome.

He wasn't perfect or refined in any way, but he was real and that simple fact was what made him so attractive. His skin had a healthy glow from the sun and while his nose was a little big, it fitted his features very well. He had a strong jaw, his mouth was always close to a smile and there was a small scar on the right side on his chin, right underneath his mouth.

Without really thinking, she reached up and touched it, wondering how she could never have noticed it before.

"I have never seen this before." She whispered, voicing her thought as she felt how the air around them started to crackle a little, and she unconsciously noted that she had moved closer to him.

"I got it when I was a baby, a dragon accidently scratched me." Hiccup told her, his green eyes looking at her, that intense look back in his eyes and it made her heart beat even faster in her chest, the sensation both terrifying and exciting.

"I see." She replied, not really knowing what else to say as she traced his jaw, feeling the stubble under her fingers, finding that she did it so she could look away from his green eyes a moment.

Why was she so interested in his features all of the sudden? Why was the contact suddenly not only giving her warmth but burning her slightly as well? Was it simply because he was leaving? She didn't think so, but she didn't know.

Her mind turned even more foggy when Hiccup suddenly reached up and pushed some of the hair that had fallen down in her face behind her ear, the action causing her already racing mind to push everything away, everything except what was somehow connected to Hiccup and this moment.

That was almost painfully clear.

"It never seems to stay in place." He told her lightly, but his green eyes still made her breathless when he looked at her. His hand was burning her skin and she felt her cheeks turn red when he suddenly brushed his hand against her right cheek, Elsa finding herself leaning into his warmth on her own accord. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his other hand move up her arm slowly only to rest on her shoulder lightly.

What was wrong with her? Why wasn't she moving away? Deep inside she felt that the thought from earlier was within her reach, but now she simply didn't care about it. She wanted whatever this was, while another part of her wanted to draw back. It wanted to stop the way her blood was rushing through her body, the way her was heart beating widely in her chest and the warmth that seemed to invade her from every direction.

That part of her was scared of what was going on, but it was not the strongest of the two. The part of her wanted to be lost in this very moment was much stronger, and that terrified her most of all.

Then Hiccup's eyes suddenly quickly darted to her lips and she felt how all rational thought left her when he looked at her again, his eyes burning while he was looking at her searchingly. It was almost as if he had never truly seen her before either and under his burning gaze all that suddenly seemed to exist was him and the way her skin burned under his hands.

Dear God she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him to draw back as well, they should draw back, but more than anything she wanted him to kiss her.

Why could he not just kiss her? Leaning into his warmth slightly more, Hiccup eyes looked deeply into her own and she didn't know what had changed, but suddenly his arms sneaked around her waist and he was drawing her even closer to him while he slowly leaned in.

At the action, Elsa felt how her whole body started humming in response and she closed her eyes at the overwhelming feelings, trying to make any sense of the emotions running through her. Then she felt his warm breath upon her lips and she let out a breathless sigh, one rational thought suddenly breaking through her hazed mind like a spear.

"You're leaving." The words left her before she had even time to reflect upon them, and the moment she spoke, her mind and body screamed at her to take them back, to tell him that she didn't care, that she didn't want him to draw back.

But it was already too late. She could see it in Hiccup's eyes when he looked down at her, drawing back slightly.

"We can't, of course we can't." He whispered, his eyes conflicted as his hand stroked her cheek once more before he drew back with a shuddering breath, running his hands through his hair as he turned away from her.

In that moment, they both felt how the bubble they had created was broken, the harsh reality crashing down over them.

Elsa herself drew in a small breath, her body, for the first time ever, feeling cold. It was aching for warmth, his warmth. She felt cold without his warm arms around her and her heart was aching over the loss while the rational part of her, the one that had once again proven to always be on control, told her that she had done the right thing.

There had never been a decision to be made. There had never been one to be made really.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup said, still not looking at her, Elsa wrapping her arms around herself when hearing his conflicted voice, the feeling of loss growing as she wanted to reach out to him, but she couldn't, not now.

"It was not just you… don't apologize, it was just the moment." She replied instead, trying to convince herself and him of this. But looking at Hiccup, she knew he didn't believe the lie more than she did, for they both knew it was just that; a lie.

The attraction had not been there from the beginning, Elsa couldn't say when the spark that appeared. All she knew was that just like the sun in the spring, it had so extremely slowly thawed the last defenses in her heart that she hadn't even known it was happening.

But it had and in the last few weeks, the spark had only grown. It had been there, underlying many of their fights, their teasing and in the way they had come to look at each other. She had denied it, they had denied it, but it had been there, wanting to make itself known.

Elsa knew it was what she had seen in the drawing of herself, she had known why it differed from the others, but neither one of them had wanted to see the truth, for the truth would only bring troubles and heartache, like it did now.

If it was any light in the darkness, it was that Hiccup was leaving today. He was a Chief who could not abandon his people, just like she couldn't abandon hers to follow him. Had they discovered this earlier, they might not have been able to resist it, for it might have been stronger. At least now it was not as strong as it would have been then and now it would be easier.

It had to be easier, Elsa told herself, but her heart was telling her otherwise. With pure willpower, she silenced it harshly as she had done so many times in the past.

"Perhaps we should continue?" She said, breaking the silence. She could see Hiccup open his mouth to say something, only to close it again as he simply nodded to her instead, and she knew that his slightly broken expression had to mirror her own.

Packing up the last things and sorting up the final papers, a heavy silence hung around them, both lost in their own thoughts. They were working in a slower pace than they usually did, neither one wanting the moment to end.

When they were done, Elsa felt her heart clench in her chest when she looked up Hiccup, for she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want him to go.

"Will you come later this afternoon and tell us goodbye?" Hiccup asked her, looking at her with eyes that made her want to reach out and hug him, but she didn't, instead she clasped her hands in front of her, the gesture an old one she had used so often in the past.

"Of course I will." She replied, mustering up a small smile while they looked at each other and for a second the tension was back, mixing with their heavy feelings. They knew that if just one of them reached out, they would have a memory to carry with them.

But at the same time they both knew it would only make matters worse. It was better for them both not to know what could have happened, that way they would never have dwell on something that was impossible.

So when Hiccup reached out and picked up his book of drawings from her table the moment was over. Now they could turn it all into a memory and the spark would remain just that, a spark. One that, with time, hopefully would disappear. They couldn't be too far gone to be only friends, they couldn't be.

"I will see you later then, Elsa." Hiccup told her, sending her one last long look before walking away, closing the door carefully behind him. The moment the door clicked shut, Elsa sunk down in her chair with her head in her hands, trying to ignore the void that had appeared within and that was telling her that she was fooling herself, that she had just done a giant mistake.

With a small thud a single drop of ice, in the shape of a teardrop, landed on her desk and seeing it, Elsa rose from her chair before rushing out of her study, wanting nothing more than to be alone.

* * *

 **So yeah... maybe I should have posted this before Halloween, then I could have dressed up as someone else for a while. I will just go into my corner now and work on the next chap! Don't forget to tell me what you think, for where will it go from here?**

 **Until next time my dear readers! (exiting slowly with a slightly evil smile)  
/Lysistrate  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm emotionally drained, but man are you going to get into Hiccup's head this chapter that is the start of Act II! This is one of the shortest chapters I've written for a while and it was longer, but I simply had to cut it for I really felt it would be too long and too heavy otherwise.**

 **Also sorry I'm posting a bit late and that I haven't replied to all of your reviews! I have so much going on in life right now (I'm applying to study a semester abroad) and I'm entering my November depression, I HATE this month! I don't know how it is where you live, but in the southern parts of Sweden we rarely ever see the sun, nor do we have any snow as they do up north! The first time I saw the sun in over a week was today and that was only for a few hours! I wish with all of my heart that this winter won't be as the last one when we had no snow and about four sunny days for SIX months! SIX months! That's half the year**!

 **Maybe I should buy D-vitamins? I have heard it can help and since my inspiration is at zero right now I might need it, otherwise these late updates will be regular until December... or March.**

 **Now enough of my ranting (I'm ranting about November to everyone right now just so you know haha), I will let you get on with the chapter that deals with the aftermath of what happened in the end of Act I!**

 **Laidyx:** Oh my I have broken so many hearts with the last chapter I do feel very evil now! But I do have a plan to fix it, or at least someone in this story has and I bet all my money on that person! Yes it was the ice-castle scene! I think I will write it as a one-shot later on, so it might make an appearance. Now I hope your heart won't ache to much after this chapter, will it help if I say this is kind of the darkest place?

 **Guest:** I'm so glad you liked the chapter! We are entering act II now so things are about to happen, especially since this act is going to be shorter than act I. ;)

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14.

"It's Berk! My Gods we're finally home!" Astrid shouted from her place on Stormfly, the dragons and Fishlegs joining in with her cheer. Looking towards the horizon where Berk could be seen as a dark spot, Hiccup felt his stomach clench slightly, the sensation clashing with the happiness at being back.

For he really was happy to be home, he had missed Berk, it was just that no matter how hard he had tried he had been unable to rid himself of the feeling that he had left something behind. The emptiness that had been with him since he walked out of Elsa's study their last day in Arendelle lay over his shoulders like a dark heavy cloak and he didn't know how to get rid of it.

During their journey back to Berk Hiccup had tried to understand how he couldn't have noticed how his feelings towards Elsa had started to change. That he hadn't seen the signs made even less sense considering he had had a crush on Astrid for years, they had even courted for some time and been in as much in a relationship anyone could be without it being inappropriate.

In other words, he should've been able to recognize the signs and he probably would've if he hadn't so fiercely been telling himself that they had meant nothing at all. Another reason explanation why he had had such difficulty noticing his shifting feelings for Elsa was that they were so different than the feelings he had had for Astrid. Also, he had fallen for Elsa so much slower.

Astrid had been like fire who had consumed everything in her path. Once he had been old enough to notice girls at all she had captured his attention and he had been drawn to her like a moth was drawn to a flame. He had admired her from afar for a long time and when she finally noticed him he had made sure to keep getting closer to her. When they finally had started courting, she had fueled his Viking self and been like a burn that constantly triggered something within.

When they had ended their romantic relationship he had felt a sense of loss, but after some time he had also felt tiny amount of relief when he had started to feel like he could breathe a little easier. He had suddenly been free to make decisions based more on what he felt it was right and he had started to take the tribe in a new direction without feeling some kind of obligation towards Astrid to preserve the world she, just like his dad, represented.

This didn't mean he hadn't often missed what they had shared, but at the same time he had never felt ready to go back to what they had been either. The short months after his father's death having taken the toll on both of them and what was left was mainly memories of arguments neither one of them had ever won.

Elsa on the other hand hadn't been anything like fire, she had not swept in and consumed his entire world. Instead she had, without even trying she to, awoken his curiosity with the expressionless, controlled and perfect picture she had created to show the outside world. She had been so difficult to read that he had wanted to see if he could figure out how to get past her defenses, only for her to slowly creep her way past his own as well.

Just like the frost and ice she could control, she had at some point left a small mark within his heart that had slowly spread the more he had started to get to know the woman underneath the royal disguise.

The more she had let him in, the more fascinated he had become of the person that was hidden away and instead of loosing interest in her, he had found that he wanted to know even more about her. Her many layers had intrigued him and what had started as simply curiosity had turned into something else entirely when he had found Elsa to be someone he could connect to, someone who could understand what he had gone through in his youth.

During the long hours they had worked together, Hiccup had far too many times found himself just watching at her, studying the way she would become so completely concentrated on her work that the world seemed to disappear around her. He had also seen how her hair would constantly fall down in her face and each time it had done so, Hiccup had felt the urge to reach out and push it back so he could better see her face.

The feeling had started to appear after she had taken him up into the mountains and he for the first time, on an impulse, had reached out and pushed the lose strands behind her ear. The action had caused her to blush slightly while the usual cold tingles had rushed through his fingers.

Thinking back, he knew now that he had been a complete idiot for not connecting the dots earlier, but then again he hadn't wanted to. Hiccup had pretty much given up all thought of a relationship with anyone, he had too much going on his life and finding a woman to marry was at the very bottom on his list of priorities.

So how had she managed to go past his defenses? They didn't even come from the same world; in fact, they came from cultures so vastly different it was a miracle they hadn't clashed more during his stay in Arendelle. On top of this they both had duties beyond themselves that were their main priorities.

Yet despite this, they had been like two pieces that just fitted perfectly together. They had built their relationship on mutual trust, they had not been afraid to comfort each other or speak their minds.

What he had never told her though, no matter how much they had talked, was what had happened to his dad. He had had the opportunity to tell her many times but he had never been able to do it, for how could he ever look at her again after admitting he was a killer? What would he have done if she had looked at him with eyes full of pity while trying to tell him it wasn't his fault?

His greatest fear though, and the main reason he hadn't told her, had been that she would look at him with with accusing eyes and tell him that he was right, that he was a killer.

So he had never told her about his dad and only now did he wonder if he had done the right decision since Elsa, despite his fears, probably was the one person who was most likely to understand him.

Another decision he kept on questioning was his decision to draw back that last day in her study. That day, Hiccup had wanted to kiss her more than anything for she had been so extremely beautiful in that moment.

He could still see her clearly, her cheeks pink while her eyes had shone with laughter before turning so intense that they had pierced right into his soul. He had felt how her mere presence was slowly invading his senses until all he wanted was her, she had been the one who was drawing him in and he would have kissed her had she not brought them back to reality. A reality that was harsh, cruel and stung painfully.

They couldn't be together.

Hiccup could never live as a King confined within a castle and Elsa could never leave her country to live on Berk. Merging their countries was also out the question for the two cultures were far too different. They would only clash and slowly tear their countries apart.

So despite knowing all of this, why couldn't he easier fight the the feeling that he wanted nothing more than to turn Toothless around, go back to Arendelle and make up for the moment they had lost? Why was he constantly remembering how her fingertips had ghosted over his scar and how her eyes had told him that she wanted the same as him?

In reality, Hiccup knew why, he just didn't want to admit it to himself. He didn't want to admit that Elsa had not only left a mark in his heart, she had managed to capture a part of it and take it from him. It was the part that was now aching for her, the part he would have to silence until he had managed to reclaim it.

The deep sound of a horn suddenly broke through the air, the dragons roaring in response while Fishlegs and Astrid cheered once again. It was the horn signaling that the Chief was coming home, meaning his tribe had spotted them, and the closer they got to Berk Hiccup could see the mass of people who had gathered to greet them.

The moment his feet hit the ground, he was drawn into a strong hug by his mother who she told him how much she had missed him before drawing back while Gobber silenced the cheering crowed before announcing loudly that the Chief had come home, the crowd breaking out into new cheers.

Looking around at his people, the ones who trusted him and had come to accept him as their leader, Hiccup felt that despite the pain he had done right decision. He had his family, his friends and his tribe. No matter how hard it would be to fight his own personal feelings, this was where he belonged and that would have to be enough.

* * *

The weeks that followed Hiccup buried himself in work, not only because he hoped that constantly having something to do would keep his mind from going places he wanted to avoid like the plague, but also because the five weeks they had stayed in Arendelle had shown itself in the amount of work that had greeted him on his desk.

His tactic mostly worked very well, but no matter how hard he tried to forget her his heart constantly found a way to remind him about Elsa. Mostly he just missed her presence and often he found himself thinking about telling her something only to remember she wasn't there.

When it came to matters concerning the village he still talked to his mom, Gobber or the council just as he had done before, but he now missed talking to another ruler who had taken over at a young age and understood the troubles of maneuvering amongst those who were so much older.

What he didn't miss the slightest from Elsa's court though was that he didn't constantly have to evaluate every sentence or find a hidden meaning. The Vikings spoke their minds and they weren't trying to trick him or lure him into a trap like the nobility in Arendelle constantly tried to do.

When it came to matters concerning his own inventions and thoughts on the world however, it was a different matter. Once again, Hiccup was alone in his interest for unanswered questions that didn't involve sheep, dragons or weapons. Nor did the Vikings fully understand his ideas or his sarcastic humor.

In the beginning, Hiccup had been able to tell himself that the fact his mind was constantly wandering to Elsa was simply because he missed this part of her. Their easy interaction that was founded only in their friendship, so about three weeks after he had left Arendelle Hiccup had written her a letter which he had sent away with one of the trained Terrors.

He had even been able to tell himself that his longing for her response had nothing to do with the deeper feelings he had developed for her, at least until he actually had received her reply.

When it had arrived a little more than a week later, little Sharpshot arriving along with the terror Hiccup had sent, he had devoured every word she had written while warmth had spread within. Her letter had been wonderfully absent of her usually formal tone and he had been able to find the emotions between the lines. However, as soon it ended the memories that had washed over him had made it impossible for to deny that his feelings for her was still strong.

It had also made him realize that corresponding with her would help neither of them at all, so with a heavy heart he had only sent her a short response, knowing he would not see Sharpshot for a long time.

After all he no longer even belonged to Hiccup.

Just like she had promised, Elsa had come down to say goodbye to all of them before they left and somehow they had both been able to act like nothing had changed between them. They had all been joking around before Anna and Rapunzel had given all of them a big hug. Rapunzel had even told them that the next time they would hold a big event in Corona, she and Eugene would invite them to come.

There had been one moment though, right before they took off, when he and Elsa had gotten a moment alone. It had been when Elsa was saying goodbye to Toothless, giving his dragon one last hug, and the others weren't paying them any attention that she had turned to him and allowed the wall she had built to fall.

"I do hope you will have a safe flight." She had said, her eyes filled with warmth and concern.

"With all the food we have with us it will probably take a bit longer to get home but other than that we'll be fine." He had replied, happy when his words had managed to bring a small smile to her face while Sharpshot had come soaring through the sky and landed on Elsa's shoulder. His new favorite spot.

"Hey little guy, I will miss you too." She had told his small dragon with a sad smile while the little terror had stroked his cheek against hers. Seeing them interact, Hiccup had made an impulsive decision. The two had grown very close during their stay and he knew the little dragon would look after her when he couldn't.

"How about he stays here?" Hiccup had therefore asked her while Elsa had looked at him with huge eyes.

"But you said they live in packs, and he is yours." She had told him, the surprise clear in her voice.

"They do. but he had clearly chosen you and I know that's what ultimately is most important." Hiccup had told her, knowing that Sharpshot would want to stay. At his words, Sharpshot had tactically taken his other new favorite spot in her arms and Elsa had simply given in without arguing.

"If he wants to stay I would be happy to take care him. Thank you Hiccup." She had told him, her eyes having shown what neither of them could say.

Having been certain no one was watching, Hiccup had then reached out and caressed her cheek one last time, Elsa closing her eyes as she relaxed, before he had jumped up on Toothless and urged his friends that they needed to leave before dark. Knowing that if they didn't leave his resolve would fall.

Just as he had thought, Sharpshot didn't return again and the weeks kept on passing as the short summer on Berk started to shift into autumn. The shifting of the seasons almost mocking him, for with them he knew that he was changing into the man he had been before he left Berk to go to Arendelle.

He was giving his all to the village, he was sitting up late nights with his friends and he kept on working with the dragons. He acted as normal as he could, but the lighter side of him that he had rediscovered in Arendelle was once again dying away and felt even more out of his reach than it had done before.

Just like before, he also noticed that his mother, Gobber and Astrid noticed the changes in him, but his mother and Gobber mostly let him be. Astrid on the other hand had tried talking to him about it several times, but he hadn't been able to tell her that the reason he was struggling was because his heart wanted him to return to Arendelle, that wouldn't have been fair to her in any regard, especially since she more than once since their return had hinted that she was ready to start over and try again.

Each time she had done this, Hiccup had felt his heart clench in his chest, for he now knew he would no longer be able return her feelings. What made matters worse was that each time Hiccup had tried to tell her that things had changed, she would simply brush it off or change the subject into something else.

Why she seemed so determined not to listen was beyond him, but it did make him wonder if she was more aware of what had started to grow between him and Elsa than she had let on, after all he had noticed how Astrid had started to act more and more possessive towards him the longer they had stayed in Arendelle. It had almost been as if she wanted to make sure he and Elsa spent as little time together as possible.

Still, it was unusual for Astrid to let her emotions get the best of her. He remembered how she had acted when she had thought he had feelings for Heather. Sure she hadn't liked it, but then she had at least talked to him about it and given him reasons why she felt the way she did. Now she simply seemed determined to act as if Elsa didn't exist at all and that they suddenly, out of nowhere, were ready to get back together despite the fact they still hadn't worked out their problems.

Life was not all gloomy however. In fact, most of the time, he was alright and life kept on going forward. He even thought he would have been able to forget about his feelings for Elsa if it hadn't been for the fact that Fishlegs' stories had, since their return, turned Elsa and Arendelle into a topic of conversation that refused to disappear.

People would constantly keep asking Fishlegs questions about the foreign Queen and he was always happy to tell them everything they wanted to know. However, this meant the tribe rarely asked Hiccup anything at all about the subject so he couldn't really complain.

As it would turn out though, one night when they were all sitting outside around the fireplace almost three months after their return to Berk, he would not be able to escape questioning forever.

"I still can't believe you got to see it all, it sounds like something from a fairytale!" Ingrid, a young pretty woman whose family had moved to Berk a little more than a year ago, said from her spot next to Snotlout. The two had been courting for eight months and even though it was a slightly strange match, they worked very well together. Ingrid finding Snotlout's strange comments to be highly amusing.

"I don't know if fairytale would be the right way to describe it, but it sure was different." Astrid said with a small smile from her seat next to Hiccup. It had not been custom for her to sit next to him for almost a year, but since their return she once again always took a seat close to him.

"But everything you've told me about the food, the dresses, the dancing! Just think of it!" Ingrid replied, her eyes glittering as she looked at them.

"Ye should be careful thinking too much about a culture ye've never seen lass. Astrid is right when she says that the southerners are a very strange folk. I once remember meeting one of these southerners in my youth, she was a beautiful older woman with the strange habit of bending her knees when she greeted everyone and kiss them on their cheeks." Gobber said, shaking his head a little.

"Isn't that what they call curtsying? It's a way of greeting isn't it?" Ingrid asked them, Astrid nodding her head. "Did they teach you so you can teach me?" At her question, Hiccup and Fishlegs couldn't help to laugh while Astrid sent them both a glare.

"I'm sorry Ingrid, but I don't think Astrid is the right one to ask." Hiccup said, noticing how his mother and Gobber shared a look on the side of the fire while he realized that it was the first time he had really said anything about their stay in Arendelle that hadn't been the answer to a direct question.

"But you all liked it there right? I mean you stayed for so long." Ingrid asked, looking around eagerly at them.

"We've already told you we found the place to be alright." Astrid shrugged, Fishlegs sending her a look.

"It was more than alright Astrid, even you admitted it. But of course we wouldn't have stayed so long if not Hiccup and Queen Elsa had started working on one of his ideas. What was it you two were trying to develop again Hiccup?" Fishlegs said, completely oblivious to the fact that Hiccup had tensed up slightly.

"It's quite difficult to explain." He only said, everyone seemingly accepting the answer while Astrid got a small frown on her face.

"It might've been, but the Queen had no problem keeping up. I saw you two work and even though I tried to understand what you talked about I never really understood everything you said about masses and numbers." Fishlegs replied, Hiccup starting to wonder why he hadn't just walked off the moment Arendelle had been brought into the conversation.

"That must've been a pretty nice change for ye Hiccup, ye know I never understood yer talk about all that stuff either." Gobber said, looking at Hiccup with calculating eyes and he could see that same look was on his mother's face. It bothered him greatly since he knew that if anyone could expose the fact that he was trying to hide something, it would be Gobber and his mom.

What bothered him even more though was the fact that a picture of Elsa sitting next to him, her face full of concentration as she pushed back her hair, entered his mind and he felt how his fingers started to tingle. It had been nearly two weeks since the felt it the last time and he had hoped it was about to pass.

"Considering the fair amount of mead you've consumed in your life perhaps that's not so strange." Hiccup still managed to tell his old mentor with a grin.

"That's true, but I'd like to argue it has sharpened my senses, saved me from a falling hammer once." Gobber laughed and Hiccup was glad when Ingrid spoke up once more, hoping he it meant would be able to escape any more questions.

"Think about how it would be to meet a real Queen, what I wouldn't do to have gone with you!" She said, Snotlout putting his arm around her.

"You beat any Queen in the entire world, all times around." He told her, Ingrid blushing a little but also pushing his arm away.

"Not if we're to believe Fishlegs." She answered, looking over at the blond Viking with glittering eyes while Fishlegs turned a little red in the face, Gobber chuckling.

"I don't think anyone on Berk can doubt that the Queen must've been a sight for sore eyes by now. Saying a woman is like the moon and the stars is high praise from any Viking." Gobber said.

"Even if she was, no woman beats my Ingrid Floueson! She's like the moon, the stars and the sun!" Snotlout said and this time Ingrid allowed his arm to stay draped around her shoulders as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"At the same time, no one can deny that you're slightly biased, though your lady is a fair beauty." Eret spoke up, winking at Ingrid who blushed while Snotlout turned red for another reason. "And I believe the same goes for Fishlegs as well. The only one I haven't heard say anything on the subject is our Chief. So what do you say about the Queen's beauty, Hiccup? It feels like you're the one who can solve this matter once and for all." He said, turning to Hiccup who felt how the emotions began raging within.

Why had he been stupid enough to believe the danger was over? He knew Eret had meant no harm with his question at all, but the man didn't know that his words had brought forward the memories of Elsa Hiccup was trying so hard to forget. They swirled around in his mind as he tried to figure out how he could describe her without giving himself away.

He couldn't tell them that her hair shone like silver in the moonlight or how it made her pale skim seem to glimmer. Nor could he tell them of how her eyes could hold more warmth and affection than any other person he had met. He couldn't describe how she seemed to float over the ground when she walked or how she could demand the attention of a whole room with just her presence.

He could most defiantly never tell them that her skin was so cold that it clashed with his own and sent strange but pleasurable tingles through him that affected him in a way nothing had before. Nor could he ever say that her outer beauty was nothing compered to the intelligent, loving and scarred woman within.

Suddenly the ache in his heart was more painful than it had been ever before, the feelings he had managed to push away returning with full force, and while he only wanted to be alone, he knew had to say something.

"Queen Elsa is very beautiful, but I think it's up to everyone to decide how much of an impact they think she has had on them." He therefore said simply, trying to sound as neutral as he could while thinking about an excuse to leave.

"That must be the most boring answer ever given by human kind; I mean I can describe the beauty of my maze better than that." Tuffnut said, Ruffnut looking at him.

"Really? Do it!" She replied with a grin.

"Oh let's see, it's a beauty, it's beautiful and the most beautiful maze ever made." Tuffnut said, Ruffnut looking slightly impressed while the rest of the group stared at the pair for a second before Ingrid suddenly turned to Hiccup again.

"Wait! Don't you have any drawings of the Queen? That way we could all see her and we could say what we think!" She exclaimed, Hiccup feeling a small rush of panic. Now he really needed to get out of here.

"Uhm… You know I don't know where I've put my sketch book, I think I left it on the edge when I was there last time, but I can show you another time." He said, rising from his seat, trying to ignore his mother's piercing eyes from the other side of the fire. "Now I need to go look for Toothless, you all know that one need to take care of the dragon." He said a little awkwardly, the others frowning a little, but so used to his strange reasons that they really didn't think much about it.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Astrid asked, Hiccup sending her a small forced smile, his heart aching when he looked into her blue eyes and only a lighter pair flashed through his mind.

"No need, but thank you." He said, walking away from the group to find Toothless who turned out to still be sleeping on the roof of Hiccup's house like he had done earlier that evening. Feeling the emotional state his rider was in, Toothless jumped down from the roof immediately when he approached and looked at him with concerned eyes while Hiccup leaned his forehead against his side.

"I just miss her bud." Hiccup told his best friend who cooed something softly. "Yes, I know you miss her too." He answered, a picture of Elsa hugging Toothless after their first flight entering his mind. Her cheeks had been flushed then as well and he remembered the warm smile on her face. It was the first time he had fully understood how beautiful she was underneath the emotionless face she showed the world.

"Let's get out of here, bud." Hiccup said, hearing how strangled he sounded when he spoke and jumped up into the saddle while it almost felt like the air was pressing in around him. With one powerful beat of his wings Toothless lifted into the cold night air while Hiccup gave a scream of frustration over the fact that he seemed unable to win the battle against his turbulent emotions.

For a moment, he envisioned how he turned Toothless around and went after her. That, when he found her, he would take her in his arms and breathe in her scent of mint, cold and snow. He would tell her that he had been wrong, that it was much worse wondering what they could have become than not knowing at all. He would tell her that the constant questions were tearing him apart and that he wanted them to try and see if they somehow could make it work.

But that was not the real world and he couldn't leave. When he returned to Berk the hope that things could've been different would have to end. He would have to work even harder to try and forget her, even though he knew it was useless. The Snow Queen had taken a hold of his heart and as long as he didn't know if she was still returning his feelings, and if those feelings could've turned into love, he would never be able to let her go.

* * *

 **I am really in my dark place now haha! And still no hint on how this is going to be resolved. If Hiccup just wasn't so stubborn! Still, I cant help feel for him, the pain of wondering and a aching heart is more painful than almost anything! Do you feel the same? Send your review and tell me what you thought, you guys keep giving the fuel to write right now!**

 **Until next time!**  
 **/Lysistrate**


	15. Chapter 15

**First of all, I just want to send out all my love to everyone who are right now suffering from what happened 11/13, my heart is full of anger, confusion and sorrow. Life is so fragile and it can change so fast. After I heard the news I called my parents and told them how much I love them, after that I called my friends, two of them were in Paris just last weekend, and told them the same. If you are bad at telling people how much you appreciate or love them, do it now. It's by remembering the love and daring to hold onto love that will help us get trough this.**

 **Of course this means I also want to give a huge thanks to all of you who read this story and give your continued support. It means a lot and like always, I love hearing from you guys!**

 **Now I was going to cut this chapter, but considering everything, I decided to leave it as it was first written.**

 **Guest (1):** Haha I thank you, I like getting props for being evil for some strange reason! But I think it will end after this chap ;) So glad you like the story, hope you'll like this chap as well!

 **Laidyx:** I actually feel terrible for breaking your heart, but I hope it will start to heal soon as people will try to do stuff so that the suffering, hopefully, will end! However, I'm also very happy you enjoyed the chapter despite the pain!  
I can understand that living in the desert must be a pain at times, I can hardly imagine living in the scorching sun! I send you rays of not burning sun and falling snow, hoping it helps a little! xoxo

 **Noctus Fury:** First of all I'm so happy to hear from you again and there really is no reason to apologize, I'm just happy you took the time to give your thoughts on the chapters you had missed and that you have enjoyed them! When it comes to maid/Hiccup action, there will be more mentions of that and I'm very happy those scenes have grown on you, they are a delight to write.

Yes, a treaty with Corona should be possible, especially now considering how well they all get along. When it comes to Hiccup and Toothless, I would say those two do have a special connection founded in how deeply they care and love each other. It's not a mental link, but just like old couples who seem to reach each others thoughts, they share something special. If that is a bond as soulmates or something else I think only Grandpabi knows, but as you know he dosen't like to share his secrets. ;)

Yes, what did he tell Astrid? We'll have to see if we ever find out! And yes it was that chapter, the kiss that was so close yet so far away! But I was so happy when you said the story felt realistic, it's kind of the best praise I can get! And to your last questions, you'll just have to keep on reading, though I can say that Heather won't be making an appearance in this story, but maybe in another!

 **SSB:** Thank you so much, it makes me really happy to hear you like it!

 **Guest (2 chapter 14):** New chapter is up! Thank you for your kind words, I'm so happy to hear that you like and that you find the chapters worth waiting for!

 **Guest (3 chapter 1):** Thank you so much! I'm happy (in a strange way) that you like the heartache. This is a new take that I really enjoy exploring and it's so fun to hear that you like where it is going!

 **Also a special shoutout to venom828 who became the 100 th person to favorite this story and its 150 th follower, if you want a special snippet card for the next chap, send me a PM and I will send it to you! Or you can save it for later chapters!**

 **Now I would feel a little evil if all of my readers didn't get the chance of a snippet card, (because I love all of you) so if you can find the song I referenced to in this chap, you will earn a snippet card as well! I can tell you it's in the third part of this chapter and that it was released just last month by a British singer! Good luck!**

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15.

Hiccup was sitting by the table that served as his desk in the house he previously had shared with his dad, but that he now shared with his mother instead. Despite the fact that he wasn't living alone, the memories of all the years he had lived with his father still, at times, made it feel like there was an emptiness to the house that had never been there before.

Hiccup was working on getting through the massive amount of papers on his desk, the pile seemingly endless no matter how many hours he trying to get through it. It hadn't exactly helped either that he, earlier during the day, had been held up when the twins, who had decided that their young students and their newly bonded dragons needed "field work", had managed to set three houses on fire and nearly blown up the Great Hall.

Not that it was something out of the ordinary.

His mom was sitting by the fireplace, mending a saddle that had started to break slightly and there was a comfortable silence between them that was broken when the front door suddenly opened, both turning to see who had entered.

Seeing their visitor, his mom turned back to her work with a small smile on her face while Hiccup looked at Snotlout with a curios expression. His cousin rarely sought him out and it was even more rare to see him look so extremely nervous as he did now. His eyes were travelling between Hiccup and Valka constantly while he had his hands behind his back.

"Are you letting yourself inside now?" Hiccup asked his cousin, expecting a comeback as usual, but to his surprise Snotlout only stopped and looked around, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as if unsure how to begin. Looking at him, Hiccup knew that the best thing to do was just to wait the other man out.

"You know I'm only coming here since you're the Chief, I'm not asking you anything because I seek your opinion in any other case." Snotlout finally said quickly, a bit of his normal proud tone present while he threw a glance at Valka who rose from her seat and walked out of the room, sending Hiccup a wink before closing the door behind her.

"Good to know nothing is out of ordinary then." Hiccup replied drily, over the years having learned that Snotlout only defended an action if it was the actual truth. "So, what are you thinking about that you need my opinion on as your Chief?" Hiccup asked, gesturing for Snotlout to sit down on the chair standing next to the table.

Sitting down Snotlout looked even more insecure as he seemed to struggle with himself, now wringing his hands since he couldn't change his weight.

"Well… uhm… What do you think of Ingrid?" Snotlout finally asked, looking anywhere but at Hiccup who studied him closely.

To be honest, Hiccup wasn't completely surprised by the question. Even before he had traveled to Arendelle he had noticed that Snotlout's interest in the younger girl didn't appear to be fleeting, something that had only been confirmed even more since he came back. Also there had been Snotlout's very genuine comment about Ingrid being the most beautiful woman in the world the night before, which had been a give away if nothing else.

"If you want to know if I think she would make a good wife to you then yes, I do." Hiccup replied, going straight to the case. At the blush that spread over Snotlout's face Hiccup couldn't help to smile, finding his embarrassment highly amusing.

"That's not what I was asking Hiccup, you shouldn't jump to conclusions!" Snotlout exclaimed before another silence fell between them, Snotlout once again seemingly having a very hard time saying what was really on his mind.

Now, Hiccup would lie if he didn't say he enjoyed seeing Snotlout squirm a bit at times, but even he knew when it was the time to have some mercy.

"Snotlout, I'm not going to pretend to know what you really came here to ask me, or why you asked me what I think about Ingrid, but if you came here to ask for my permission to marry her then I want you to know that I see no reason why I shouldn't give it to you. She apparently cares for you very deeply, you get along well with her family and I know you will be able to provide for her well." He therefore said, Snotlout's eyes darting to him.

"I wasn't going to ask that Hiccup, thinking-he-knows-all-things, but now when you brought it up, I actually might consider it. If you really think, I'd be able to take care of her." Snotlout said, adding the last part quickly as he tried, and failed, to hide the excitement in his eyes.

"I really think you will." Hiccup replied, seeing that the last doubt disappeared from Snotlout's eyes, being replaced by determination instead.

"Then I'll go and think about it, but I have to talk to Ingrid first… not to ask her but to… well I just need to talk to her." Snotlout said, not coming up with a better reply before he rose and and hurried out of the room.

Seeing him nearly run out of front door Hiccup shook his head at the other man, feeling happy that Snotlout had found a woman who had come to love his not always tactful comments and who, somehow, had managed to see past the tough surface he also fought so hard to uphold. After all, it was hard enough finding a person you could love, it was even harder finding someone who could love you back.

At the thought, ice-blue eyes flashed before his eyes and a sharp pain cut through his heart. Closing his eyes, Hiccup tried to push away the emotional turmoil from the night before that had refused to leave him alone. All day it had been erupting at the most unexpected moments and each time it filled him with longing until he finally managed to quench again, at least for while.

The only difference was that this time a new feeling was mixed with the others and it was directed towards the happiness he felt for Snotlout and Ingrid. Jealousy. He was jealous for what they had, that Snotlout could just go and ask for permission to marry the girl he loved and who would most likely say yes.

They had gotten the chance to finding happiness with each other while he and Elsa had never even gotten the opportunity to figure out if there could've been something between them at all.

"It was about time he asked you, I thought he'd be here knocking on our door the moment you returned from Arendelle." His mother said, bringing him out of this thoughts as she returned into the room with a smile on her face.

"Were you listening?" Hiccup asked, managing to give her a small smile in return as he once again managed to push away all thoughts of Elsa and only focus on the present.

"I didn't have to; I've seen him standing outside every night for the past week trying to gather his courage to talk to you." She replied with a chuckle, sitting down on the chair Snotlout had just occupied.

"Well you know Snotlout, he always has a trouble to admitting that he needs to ask anyone for anything." Hiccup said.

"Yes he's quite like his father in that way and this means that we'll have a wedding to plan, which also means you'll have to think about if there are any tribes or kingdoms that has to be invited. It's Snotlout were are talking about after all, this will be grand and he is your cousin." His mother said, Hiccup suddenly on his guard as he looked into her knowing eyes that was so similar to his own.

"Kingdoms?" He repeated, not liking the look in his mother's eyes at all since it was far too calculating.

"Wouldn't it be rude not to invite the Queen of Arendelle when she invited you?" Valka said, trying to sound causal, knowing instantly that she had failed when Hiccup immediately shut down all trace of emotions right in front of her.

The moment she had reentered the room she had seen the troubled look on Hiccup's face, a look that had been far too common since his visit to Arendelle. The sight pained her each time she saw it and even though she had hoped he wouldn't shut down when she brought up the subject, she was not surprised at all.

After all he had done the same for the past two years whenever she tried to bring his father into the conversation.

"I hardly think they'd have the time, besides it's not I who have the final say it's Snotlout and Ingrid." Hiccup answered her with a distant voice, turning back to his papers.

Watching him Valka felt a deep sorrow in her heart, for no matter what her son seemed to think, she wasn't stupid. Sure she hadn't known him for more than a few years of his life, but that didn't mean she hadn't noticed how he had changed from an optimistic, and slightly goofy, young man into a Chief who gave everything to his tribe but had lost the spark of freedom and curiosity any young man should have.

After his return from Arendelle she had noticed another change in him as well. There was a new sadness in his eyes now when he thought no one was watching and she had seen how he, at times, would look into the fire as if his mind was somewhere else entirely. She had seen how he avoided talking about Arendelle and its Queen with more efficiency than a Changewing disappeared into its background, acting as if he had never been there at all. But she had also noticed that he seemed uncomfortable with Astrid's new, and surprising, advances.

So while she knew she couldn't claim to know everything about Hiccup, she had had enough personal experience with a longing and pained heart to not recognize it in her own son whom she loved more than anything left in this realm.

After all, she herself had pushed away the voice telling her that she should return to her son and husband for twenty years. Through her conviction that it was better for them if she stayed away, and through her extreme stubbornness, she had managed to hide away the love and deny the pain that the loss had caused her every single day.

But for twenty years she had never been truly happy and everyday she still regretted that she had missed seeing her only son grow up.

So since his return from Arendelle, Valka had more and more come to realize that Hiccup was now doing what she had done for two decades and, just like her, he seemed to be getting better at it as time passed. What he didn't know though was that she was done seeing him constantly unhappy and that, while she might have accepted that he would never open up about his father's death, she was not going to allow him to make the same mistake she had done when it came to love.

Still she knew that she would have to be careful since Hiccup would just leave if she became to persistent, an irritating trait he had inherited from his father.

"You know Berk is not quite the same without you Hiccup, I can see how happy everyone is that you're back home." She therefore began carefully, watching him closely as he turned back to her. Just like she had hoped his eyes softened slightly, but she could still see that he was on his guard.

"And you know I'm glad to be back. I knew you and Gobber would do a great job, but I like having the chance to overlook things myself." Hiccup said, putting down the pen as he turned towards her again.

"Your father would've said the same." She smiled, happy that he seemed to find her comment to be okay since he sent her a small smile.

"I don't think I can ever be the Chief dad was." He replied, Valka seeing the hurt in his eyes before he looked away from her. In that moment Valka wanted to grab a hold of him and tell him to stop shutting her out, but she already knew it was useless for she had tried it before.

"The tribe doesn't compare you two, Hiccup. You've become their Chief through and through, they have full faith in you son, and I know your father would've been proud." She said instead, meaning every word.

Hearing her say it, Hiccup felt warmth spread within, hoping that his father really would've been proud about his decisions to increase Berk's contact with the rest of the world.

But her words also confirmed how much he was needed on Berk and that meant they also reminded him that he was bound to his home, turning them into a weight that weighed him down heavily. Feeling a small tingle in his fingers, he clenched his hands a few times to push away the feeling, trying to ignore the fact that his mother was watching him carefully.

"Thanks mom, it means a lot to me." He finally replied, meaning the words while he, at the same time, wished she had never said them and that they hadn't meant so much.

"It's the truth and sometimes we need to hear it, just like you need to hear something else." She replied, pausing for a second to make sure he had his full attention. "You aren't happy here Hiccup." She said firmly, causing Hiccup to stare her for a second before opening his mouth to, probably, contradict her. But she interrupted him immediately with a stern expression.

"I may not have been a part of your life for long but I can still see it Hiccup. There's no need to deny that this life is not making you happy, in fact I think you're at times even very miserable." She said.

Looking into her eyes, Hiccup could see the concern and love she felt for him shine back at him. Seeing her concern, he knew he couldn't lie to her, but there was no need to tell her the whole truth either.

"Mom you know that as long as the tribe is happy and well, that's all I need to be the same since it means I'm doing this right." He therefore replied, but his mother only sent him a sad smile.

"Looks like the Queen of Arendelle hasn't only managed to steel my sons heart but she has turned him into a diplomat as well." She said, her sad eyes shining a little when all Hiccup could do was stare at her, wondering if he had heard her correctly.

"I can understand it though, from what I've heard she sounds like a very interesting and challenging young woman who is also happens to be strong and very intelligent." She added, a real smile now spreading over her face as Hiccup only kept on staring at her.

"What…?" Hiccup finally managed to get out, not really knowing what to say. Giving him a knowing look his mother rose and left the room only to return a moment later with his sketch book in her hands. Opening it, she turned a few pages before placing it on the desk in front of him.

Staring back at him from the table was the picture of Elsa down by the pond, the one he had tried and failed to finish since he had come to realize that he could never do her justice.

What he, unknowingly to a start, had managed to convey though was the raw emotion behind the drawing. It was almost painfully clear and it was the reason he had known no one could ever see it. In fact, no one had never been supposed to see any drawing of her for, even though they were not as telling, they all held traces of his emotions for her.

"She is a rare beauty, Fishlegs was right when he said she outshines us all." His mother said softly, looking at him with understanding eyes, but all Hiccup could feel was that he had somehow been betrayed and as a result he could feel the anger rise within.

"Have you been going through my room for this?" He asked, not able to mask the anger that also was a way cope with the panic he felt at the knowledge that she knew what he had tried to hide.

"Of course not, you left it out on the table that night when the Whispering Death attacked. I was just going to put it back when I saw this, although I had my suspicions even before that." She told him calmly, Hiccup's anger dying away as fast as it had appeared when he remembered the event.

It had been the same day he had sent away Sharpshot with his short reply to Elsa and his mother was right, he had forgotten the book on the table and he had not opened it since in his attempt to forget her. Looking down at the drawing, seeing the woman he missed so much, Hiccup was unable to take his eyes off of her. Though it wasn't perfect, it still showed the depth to Elsa that had drawn him to her and made his memories from that moment to come alive.

"How old is she?" His mother suddenly asked, Hiccup realizing that he had been staring at the drawing for too long. He had even forgotten his mother was sitting next to him.

"Uhm… we are the same age." He answered, closing the book so he no longer had to see what was hidden inside. "But she took over many years before me." He added, feeling very awkward with the whole situation since he really didn't want to talk about it.

"Then I suppose that she's a wise ruler." His mother replied, a tense moment of silence spreading between them. Hoping the conversation was over, Hiccup began to turn back to his work when his mother suddenly spoke again. "Do you know if she feels the same way?" She asked, looking at him with eyes glittering with curiosity.

"Oh come on!" Hiccup exclaimed, startled by her question.

"You're not denying it." She smiled at him, Hiccup feeling a strange mix of happiness and irritation over her the excitement in her eyes, but he wasn't going to show it.

"What is this, an interrogation?" He muttered instead, glaring at her. However, he could see that his response only seemed confirm her thoughts even more for, to his great disappointment, her smile only grew.

"A mother has the right to be curios, now tell me something about her that I haven't heard from Fishlegs." She said, at first thinking that she had succeeded and that Hiccup would open up to her when he seemed to consider telling her something, but then he only sighed as the fire in his eyes faded away once more.

"I really have to keep working." He replied instead and seeing the sadness in his eyes, Valka felt her heart break a little. But now he was showing that at least.

"I'll not force you to tell me anything son, but I still think you should invite them here Hiccup. You if anyone should know that it would be rude not to do so when they invited you." She said, hoping that bringing an obligation into their conversation would change his mind.

But instead his eyes only turned even darker and filled with the stubbornness she recognized in herself and that had been so prominent in Stoick.

"Mom, first of all, even if I did feel something for the Queen, which I'm not saying I do, it wouldn't matter for she is bound to Arendelle just as I'm bound to Berk. Secondly, no one from Arendelle can travel to Berk in the ships they have now when the weather is turning. I'll send a letter with the news and explain that I don't want to risk their lives. Now I really have to continue getting through this." He said, turning back to his work and efficiently ending the conversation.

Looking at him Valka knew that she had lost this battle, but that didn't mean she had lost the war. She wasn't going to allow her only son to go through his life wondering and longing for something he had told himself he could never have, especially when there was a possibility that the woman who held his affection returned it and his arguments were nothing but nonsense.

Still, if he wanted to be stubborn she was not going to argue with him for she knew it would get her nowhere. Therefore, instead of trying to change his mind, Valka only rose and sat down in her former spot as she continued working with the saddle.

She knew that when Snotlout and Ingrid announced their engagement she would have to congratulate them just like everyone else. That she then might also mention the possibility that the Queen of Arendelle would attended their wedding if they sent her an invitation was another matter entirely.

Besides, Hiccup himself had said that it was the bride and groom who choose whom they wanted to invite to the wedding. If they wanted to invite the Queen of Arendelle to fulfil Ingrid's wish to meet a real Queen, simply because Valka had mentioned it, it was not her fault. She only wanted to see Ingrid happy and no one could blame her for that, not even Hiccup.

* * *

It had been a little more than three months since the Vikings, Rapunzel and Eugene had left Arendelle to go back home. Three months that had seemed more like three years than anything else. Life at court had returned to normal for everyone except for Elsa, she was changed. The endless dinners, plans and political alliances had always left her a bit tired, but they had been her purpose and given her life meaning. Now they only seemed to stretch out in all eternity and while she often had had the feeling that life sometimes was passing her by, she had never felt that she was losing a part of life that she wanted.

Of course she was well aware of the reason for her new feelings, they all came from the loss and the void in her heart that he had left behind. Hiccup.

The first month after he had gone away she had tried to suppress her feelings for him. She had even tried to see if her affection could turn to someone else, having tried talking to Lord Lejionhufvd who was both a very kind and handsome young man, but it had been no use and after some time she had simply given up trying.

Hiccup had thawed her heart, a feat no one had ever seceded with before. He had spread his warmth to her, filling her with feelings that she had never felt and now when he was gone her heart longed after those feelings again. It wanted to feel the spark in her heat flame up, to make it beat faster and make her blood rush. But Hiccup was not here and the spark was just strong enough to it impossible for her reclaim her warm heart.

So instead of fighting, Elsa had accepted the fact that she would long for him and that she would always wonder what they could have been. What she hadn't excepted though was how much these questions would haunt her, but then again she was everyday reminded of how much happiness love could bring to two people.

Married life had turned out to fit both Anna and Kristoff extremely well, their love for each other simply growing more and more as time passed. Of course this brought Elsa a lot of happiness, for she wanted nothing more than Anna's happiness, but at the same time it constantly reminded her that she could never have what they shared.

Seeing them together, Elsa was always a little emotionally torn for, while she was genuinely happy for them, she also felt a deep envy towards the couple. She was envious for what they shared and that when she had been given the opportunity to, perhaps, experience the same it had been taken away from her because of the life she had been born into.

Luckily Elsa had Olof and Sharpshot, the little snowman and the little dragon keeping her company when Anna and Kristoff wanted to be alone. They were also masters at bringing a smile to her face, Olof with his simple, naïve and loving look on life and Sharpshot because he simply had turned into her constant companion.

Sure he reminded her of Hiccup, but the memory of how he had given the small dragon to her was a good one and he had given her her most loyal friend. Sharpshot was always with her, he even slept in her bed each night bundled up down by her feet. This had, of course, not been the intention from the beginning, but when the tiny dragon had accepted, very reluctantly, that he was not allowed to set the footmen on fire, Elsa had felt he deserved some kind of reward.

But mostly, she just felt secure having him close. He had taken a strong hold on her heart and she knew he only loved her for who she was, nothing else.

Sharpshot's presence didn't mean it was easy to miss Hiccup though, in fact it was anything but. When she had been alone with him there had been no political battle. He had not felt a need to get into her good graces to climb a social ladder or to gain power in that same world. They had just been two people who had found out they liked spending time with each other because they fitted together, two people who could put their personal relationship to the side when they needed to.

Elsa had always said that should she ever fall in love, it would be with a man who could love her, not her title.

Hiccup already had all the power he wanted, he had seen her as a person, not a Queen, and she had seen him. He had never backed down from an argument, he had accepted her power, challenged her and kept on intriguing her. He had understood her better than anyone else and had made her realize that she was enough, she just needed to accept it herself.

If it had been any man she could have loved, it would have been Hiccup Haddock Horrendous III. A Viking who came from from the high north. A man who was stubborn and unrefined. Her papa would have been horrified, she could just imagine his expression.

But it didn't matter where he came from, he was her equal and she was his, they worked together and he had managed to change her in more ways than one. He had managed to make her start accepting herself. It had been difficult, for she had lived so long separating parts of herself, but finally there was no longer a struggle within.

Along with the acceptance for who she was, her control over her power had changed as well. She no longer need to think about the love of others to make it thaw. Instead she had rediscovered a place within her heat that held a warm acceptance for herself, an immovable inner core that now anchored her power to the knowledge of who she truly was, not who she feared she could be.

It had been a huge revelation for her when she understood that the key to unlocking her control had never been love at all, love was the way to thaw the cold. The key to unlocking her control had been self discovery and understanding that her power would only be what she wanted it to be.

Like almost every day, Elsa was sitting in her study working in peace when Sharpshot suddenly looked up from the comfy chair that he had chosen as his own and that had been moved to stand net to her desk. At his sudden reaction, Elsa looked up from the charts detailing Arendelle's economic situation with a questioning look.

"What is it Sharpy?" She asked, having given Sharpshot his new nickname shortly after the Vikings had left and, each time she said it, she wondered what Hiccup would have said if he had heard it. Probably he would have frowned before muttering something about it being "unvinkinglike" and how everyone would have thought "it was extremely silly".

The sound of something scratching on her window made Elsa turn around, and she felt a rush of excitement as she flew up from her chair to let in the orange terror that was sitting outside with a letter tied to it. The moment she opened the window the little dragon soared inside and landed on her desk, Sharpshot leaving his place to greet the new dragon happily.

While they were busy getting to know each other, Elsa took the opportunity to unfasten the thick paper that was fastened to the orange terror. Holding the letter in her hand, she looked down at the folded paper with a racing heart. Should she even open it? After all the last letter she had received from Berk had been Hiccup telling her that if they kept in contact he would not be able to go back, that his emotions for her would never fade to only friendship.

That letter had caused her to cry, knowing that what he wrote was true for her as well, for it had been back when she had tried to forget him as well.

Therefore, her heart now beat wildly in fear that Hiccup would have written to her to tell her that he no longer felt anything for her. That he had managed to get over his feelings for her and that he wanted them to keep contact as friends.

But what if he, like she so many times herself had considered, instead had written that he hadn't forgotten her? That he, just like her, was tired of fighting. What if he was coming back?

Feeling the excitement and hope mix with fear and dread, Elsa opened the letter with trembling hands. Her heart was beating a mile a minute only to sink in her chest as she stared at the written words. She reread the letter three times, her mind racing more and more each time she read it as she sat down. She had never felt more confused on what decision to make in her entire life. If she listened to her screaming heart the choice was obvious, but it was just as obvious if she listened to her rational side that told her not be an impulsive fool.

She was so lost in her thoughts and her inner turmoil that she didn't even notice how the sun went down outside her window, the sky turning dark, until someone knocked on the door to her study and walked in without waiting for a reply.

Looking up she saw Anna and Kristoff walking inside, both with slightly worried expressions on their faces.

"You didn't come down for dinner." Anna told her, placing an apple and a napkin with a few slices of bread on her desk. Looking down at the food Elsa felt her stomach turn as it had done so often the last few months and while she sent Anna a small smile, she didn't touch the food.

"I have just gotten a message that has given me quite the headache." Elsa replied, giving Anna the letter while Kristoff read it over her sister's shoulder. Just like she had expected a huge excited smile spread over Anna's face, but she had not expected the small frown that appeared on Kristoff's, the expression mystifying her somewhat.

"A wedding invitation to Berk! Elsa what are you even thinking about? You have to go! If you're a little worried about their culture you should know it's a little strange in the beginning but just like our friends, they are very kind once you get to know them! Oh and you'll have to apologize to Snotlout on my behalf, I mean he is getting married so obviously have gotten over the punch but still it was not right and…" Anna spoke very quickly, her own excitement so strong she missed Elsa's neutral face.

"I'm not going." Elsa interrupted her calmly, Anna stopping in the middle of a sentence as she stared at Elsa with huge eyes.

"What?" She asked, staring at her in disbelief while Kristoff just looked at her with a knowing look that made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm not going." Elsa repeated, ignoring the way the words made the void within grow stronger, telling her that she was making the wrong decision. "I was going to ask if you and Kristoff could go in my place."

"We can't go." Anna replied shortly, Elsa a little confused over her sister's sharp reply, but she didn't want to fight so she accepted it.

"That's okay, it's a long journey. I suppose I could talk to Sir Anckarloo instead, he got to know all of them fairly well during their stay and…"

"No!" Anna said sharply, Elsa once again surprised over her sister's angry expression. "Elsa, why on earth wouldn't you want to go?! This is your chance to do something for yourself for once and I know you want to see Berk. Don't you want to see our friends; don't you miss them?" Anna asked.

"Of course I do, it has nothing to with that." Elsa answered calmly while her heart ached painfully, telling her what she already knew. That she was missing one of them too much and that she would not be able to bear meeting Hiccup only to find out his emotions had changed or that he didn't want her there. After all it wasn't even he who had sent the letter, she would have recognized his messy handwriting.

"Then what is it? Why won't you take this opportunity to go and see them?" Anna asked with a frown. Taking a small breath Elsa clasped her hands together. She had not expected Anna to be so persistent, but at least she had thought it through a little.

"It's because the opportunity is coming at a bad time. There is to much to be done right now before winter comes and when it does, I cannot leave my people behind. I wouldn't be able to relax for a moment when I'm away and…"

"You have no obligations I can't handle in your absence; you know I could handle it." Anna interrupted her again, Elsa feeling how her own irritation started to rise within.

"I know you could, but you have a lot going in with the poorhouse and the orphanage. Besides you know that I only feel comfortable when I can keep an eye on things myself." Elsa replied, fighting hard to keep a harsh edge out of her voice.

"So you are saying that you don't trust me?" Anna stated, her eyes suddenly filled with new anger as Elsa just stared at her. What was wrong with her? How on earth had a simple question if they could go to Berk turned into this? Elsa had not even tried to persuade them to go and Anna had no idea how she much work she had to get through.

"Anna don't be silly…" She began, her irritation seeping through, but Anna only cut her off again as her eyes filled with angry tears.

"No! I'm tired of you NEVER trusting me with ANYTHING! You never allow me to do anything around here! I'm NOT fragile and I'm tired of you shutting me out even though you promised that you wouldn't! Don't you think we haven't noticed that you barely eat or how you keep on locking yourself away in here to be miserable instead of at least trying to be happy with us?!" Anna shouted at her.

"Anna." Kristoff said to her carefully, placing his hand on her shoulder as he saw how Elsa's expression turn more and more pained for every word her sister said, the sadness in her eyes only growing.

But Anna was still overcome by the sudden rage that had flared up so suddenly that she only shrugged him off.

"NO! I'm not done! I'm tired of seeing you pretending that all you care about is ruling this kingdom when I know that's not the case! If you just allowed anyone in and trusted those around you, you wouldn't be stuck here all of the time! So stop telling me lies and tell why you don't WANT to go since we all know that's what this is all about!" Anna shouted, breathing heavily as the burning anger faded as quickly as it had appeared only to leave her feel horrified at her sister's expression.

In front of her, Elsa was staring at her with eyes filled with tears while she had a torn expression on her face. Anna had never seen her look so vulnerable or so at war with herself, and Anna had seen her in her ice palace.

"Elsa I'm…" Anna said in a low voice, cut off by the grim look Elsa her sent through the tears.

"You're what? Sorry?!" She spat, her voice strangely harsh and rushed. "I went against my entire council when I trusted you to go to Berk and I did the same when I allowed you to marry Kristoff! I just offered you to go in my stead and represent me at a wedding that will take place amongst one of our most valued allies and you stand here saying that I don't TRUST you?!" Elsa said, her voice icy cold as she stood straighter in front of them.

"I have wanted nothing more than for you to be as happy as possible, even though that has forced me to watch you gain what I can never have! I have chosen not to open up to you because I haven't wanted to stain your happiness with guilt or make you rush off like you always do! You want to know the real reason I can't go?! It's because I can't see him! I can't see Hiccup when he has changed me and made me long for something I never wanted before I met him. I can't see him when it doesn't matter if he still feels the same." Elsa took a deep breath as she crossed her arms over her chest and when she continued it was in a lower voice, as if she was no longer even talking to them at all.

"I can't go when I know I will fall in love with him. I can't go to find out he might not feel the same way or, if he does, only to part from him again. I will always have to return home, just like he will always have to return to Berk. We are parted by the roles we have been born into, the duties we have and the curse of loving our people." She finished, closing her eyes as a tear fell with a small thud to the floor as a perfect drop of ice.

"Elsa I didn't…" Anna said, tears of her own falling as she reached out to her sister. But Elsa only sent her a dark look before rushing out of the room, the two little dragons flying after her, while Anna was left to stare after her in shock, wondering how she could have been so blind. When had her own happiness blinded her so much that she had forgotten to pay real attention to her sister?

"Anna." At his soft voice she looked up into Kristoff's concerned eyes, her self-loathing growing when she noticed that he didn't seem surprised at all at the news.

"Did you know?" She whispered, Kristoff shrugging awkwardly.

"I wasn't sure, but the signs were there." He told her, Anna knowing he was trying to not make her feel any guiltier. It didn't help much though, for she had never felt more horrible in her entire life, and soon tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as she cursed her hormonal state.

"Why didn't I see it? I'm a terrible sister, I should've just told her why we can't go." Anna said, Kristoff wrapping his arms around her as his comfort only made her cry even more since it reminded her that Elsa was alone. She had to this right, but at the moment all she could do was cry as her emotions again was spiraling out of her control.

* * *

If it was one thing that Elsa had found difficult to adapt to was that by accepting her feelings, she wasn't just allowed to feel happiness, she was forced to feel pain as well. Pain that brought tears.

It was not the first time she had cried during the past three months, but usually it had just been a few tears. Now it was like the void inside of her wanted to draw her into its nothingness. She could feel its pull, how it promised her that she would be free of every emotion if she just gave in. But she also knew that all that would be left was emptiness, a dark world without any light.

It was a horrible feeling, one that frightened her and almost caused her to panic, but as she cried she could feel how the tears saved her. With each breath she felt the void in chest, a dark hole where something was missing, but her tears and her sorrow reminded her that what she missed was something good.

It also helped that Sharpshot, along with the new little terror, lay close to her like silent protectors that offered her as much comfort as they could.

She didn't understand what had caused Anna's outburst, it was nothing like her sister, but it didn't mean that her words had been less hurtful. Of course Elsa knew she was not innocent in this, but a part of her couldn't help to despise the fact that Anna had been so happy that she had been unable to see the darkness in Elsa.

However, Anna was right as well. She had shut away herself from sister because she wanted to protect her and she had sought more and more solitude over the last month. But why should she engage in the silly lives that were all the same when she no longer had no interest in them?

"Your majesty." At the soft elderly voice Elsa looked up from where she had buried her head in her pillows only to see Mrs. Tomson standing in the doorway into her room. Seeing the tears that were still flowing down her face, the elderly housekeeper got a compassionate look on her face as she walked into Elsa's room, sitting down next to her on the bed while stroking her over her hair.

It was something she had done to Elsa when she was little girl and had been in need of comfort. At least she had until Elsa had become so afraid to hurt anyone that she had refused all human contact. Now she was no longer afraid and the calming action awoke something in her, something she had not felt for over fifteen. It was the need for a motherly embrace that could keep the harsh reality away.

Giving in to feeling, Elsa sat up and allowed Mrs. Tomson to pull her into her arms, holding her while she continued stroking her hair. At the contact, Elsa's tears only increased as the loss of her parents suddenly crashed over her as well. When her tears finally began to fade away the void in her heat was still there, but it was no longer trying to pull her in. Instead a warm feeling of peace spread through her.

"Sometimes all we need is to cry; it helps us heal." Mrs. Tomson said, not letting go of Elsa who once again felt extremely drained.

"I ain't done much healing Mrs. Tomson." Elsa whispered, the old housekeeper looking down at her with a stern look.

"You must excuse me for speaking so plainly Queen Elsa, but that is just pure nonsense. I've seen you heal a great deal since a certain Chief came here. You've done a great deal of healing and what you suffer from now has nothing to do with your past. What you suffer from my child is a broken heart, nothing else."

At her words Elsa couldn't help to smile a little, not even bothering to ask how the old housekeeper could always know everything that went on in the castle. All she knew was that she was happy to have Mrs. Tomson in her life and that she was tired of having no one to talk to.

"No one is supposed to know about that." Elsa said, drawing back a little as Mrs. Tomson gave her a handkerchief.

"One is not supposed to know anything if you listen to the old men sitting on their high horses." Mrs. Tomson scoffed, causing Elsa to smile once more. "Now what brought on this fight between you and princess Anna?" She asked.

"How did you…" Elsa began, but at Mrs. Tomson pointed look she simply chuckled, knowing it was no point in asking. The housekeeper would never reveal her secrets. "I got an invitation to a wedding on Berk." She answered instead, feeling how the words weighed her down once more.

"And was it this invitation that upset you so?" Mrs. Tomson asked, Elsa knowing that she really wanted to know if it was Hiccup who was getting married.

"Not so much, it's the Chief's cousin who is getting married. It's more the knowledge that I can't go. I don't even know if Chef Haddock wants to see me, it wasn't he who sent the invitation and we decided that we wouldn't allow anything to happen between us. Besides I can't leave Arendelle for so long." Elsa replied, what she hadn't expected was the other woman's scolding expression.

"That must be the most stupid reasoning I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot during my years! Now I've never said that I am a woman who knows everything, but first of all you need to hear that you really are sheltering Princess Anna far too much. She is not someone you need to protect anymore; in fact, it would be healthy for her to learn a bit more about the real world." Mrs. Tomson said with a stern voice.

"Anna actually said something similar." Elsa replied.

"Well then she at least managed to make some sense through all that useless yelling." Mrs. Tomson muttered before continuing. "As when it comes to this invitation of yours, don't you think that Chief Haddock would've stopped his cousin from inviting you if he wished for your absence?" She said with a pointed look.

At her words Elsa suddenly felt extremely stupid and silly. Of course Hiccup's cousin had been forced to ask for permission to invite her, not even Vikings could simply invite whoever they liked to a wedding, not even if that person was a royal.

Taking her silence as sign of her agreement, a slightly pleased smile spread over Mrs. Tomson's face.

"I didn't think so." She continued. "Now about all this nonsense I heard about you two being from different worlds, I'll tell you that you two are not the first people to fall in love with a person who you try to convince yourself is impossible to be with."

"I don't love him, Mrs. Tomson." Elsa interrupted hastily, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

"You keep on telling yourself that dear." Mrs. Tomson said with a knowing smile and glittering eyes, giving Elsa no chance to reply before continuing. "But if you don't, why do you fear seeing him again?"

"Because if I would fall in love with him I would want to be with him, but I cannot give up my thrown and he cannot give up his role on Berk. Neither one of us wants to lose that and we have our duties." Elsa said, feeling how solid the argument was to her, at least until Mrs. Tomson chuckled slightly.

"Then neither one of you does." She said with glittering eyes.

"What?" Elsa replied, wondering what the older woman was implying.

"Why should either one of you have to give up what you already have? Like I said before, Princess Anna is more than capable to taking care of Arendelle while you are away and Chief Haddock obviously have people he trusts on Berk. Why would either one of you have to renounce your titles? Why can't you rule two kingdoms together?"

"But it… it just isn't done." Elsa said, not even daring to think that there could be a solution that was so simple. They couldn't rule two different kingdoms, could they?

"Isn't done!" The old housekeeper scoffed. "If everything was to be done as it was before then your cousin wouldn't have married a thief and your sister wouldn't have married a man selling ice. You on the other hand _would've_ been married with a third child on the way while your husband was sitting on the throne. If we never went against the norms in society our lives would never change and if any couple could rule two kingdoms I think it would be you and Chief Haddock. After all, I saw no problem for either of you to put your personal feelings aside when he was here."

"Were you spying on us?" Elsa asked, feeling a little amused when she saw Mrs. Tomson's slightly sheepish look.

"You have no mother to look after you, your majesty. I was just keeping an eye out for her." She replied, Elsa smiling at her as new thoughts began to spin in her head.

Could there be a way? Could they live a life where they could rule two different kingdoms together? It seemed impossible, insane even, but at the same time why wouldn't they be able to do it?

At the thought the void in Elsa's heart suddenly filled with a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time; hope.

"Your majesty." At her soft voice Elsa turned to Mrs. Tomson again. "I've been with you since you were a child. You deserve happiness my dear and even if you find out that the Chief is not the right man for you, at least you'll no longer have to wonder. Your heart will never let you rest if you don't go. Living as you do now you'll learn to get by, but nothing else. If you feel that you can love him, you have to fight for it, at least so you can know that you tried."

Looking into her sad eyes, Elsa felt her heart go out to the old woman sitting next to her. Elsa didn't even need to ask how Mrs. Tomson knew how she felt, for the answer was right there in her eyes. Embracing her old housekeeper, Elsa felt how her tears started to fall once again while a few warm ones soaked through the back of her dress. She was never going to ask Mrs. Tomson who she had lost, if she had wanted to tell Elsa she would've done so.

But what Elsa realized was that she still had the chance of love and at this realization, the words Grandpabi had once spoken, that the mind could be persuaded while the heart never forgot, suddenly got a new much deeper meaning to her than before.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tomson." Elsa whispered to her when they both drew back, no trace at all on the old housekeepers face that any tears had fallen.

"Never think of it dearest. Now I have to go back to work, I swear that the housemaids are still walking on clouds since of a certain young man we've just spoken about was here. I have to constantly remind them that their chores won't be done on their own! Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to change your mind now when I think about, for if this means the Chief will start to visit here regularly I wouldn't be surprised if they start following him around again and if they do, you should know that I'll be demanding a raise!" She said and, just like that, everything was back to normal again.

Before walking away, Mrs. Tomson sent her one last warm smile, but right before she closed the door though Anna appeared in it instead, her eyes full of tears as she rushed over to Elsa and gave her a huge hug.

"Elsa I'm so sorry, I didn't mean what I said!" She said, Elsa returning her hug.

"It's okay, you were right after all about some thing."

"I was?" Anna replied in disbelief.

"You were, even though I think you overreacted I have shut you out when I promised you I wouldn't. So I'm sorry too." Elsa said, a short silence falling between them.

"Sooo does this mean you're going?" Anna asked with glittering eyes as Elsa felt a strange peace settle over her as she made her decision. She knew what she had to do and that was to try. Mrs. Tomson was right; she would never be happy otherwise.

"I am." Elsa therefore answered, laughing as Anna squealed loudly and threw her arms around her again.

"Thank God! Now you have to tell me everything! I knew you two would find each other, I just knew it! But first I have to tell you something else, it is kind of reason for why I didn't want to leave and why I just blew up before."

At the excited look in Anna's eyes and the way her hands rested on her stomach, Elsa drew in a breath.

"You're not…?" Elsa asked while Anna nodded her head fiercely, a huge smile spreading over her face.

"I am! You are going to be an aunt!" Anna squealed as the two sisters embraced fiercely again, their laughter and excited chatter spreading out into the hallway as all hurt feelings were forgiven and the darkness was chased away. Walking away with a smile of her own, Mrs. Tomson felt her heart fill with love for the two women she had come to love as her own, excited at the prospect that the sound of little feet would soon fill the castle once more.

* * *

 **So that was one long chap! Tell me what you thought about it, what will happen now when things are about to happen? We have a determined Elsa, but what is Hiccup thinking about all of this? Does he even know? And Anna is pregnant! Baby-Happiness-Overload!**

 **Take care and live life to the fullest, don't forget that there is always light to find in each other!  
** **Until next time my dear readers!  
** **/Lysistrate**


	16. Chapter 16

**Not much to say except that life has been crazy and will be for the coming week. Also I can say that I'm so tired I'll come back and edit this chapter more tomorrow, it's finished but I'll cheek it for misspellings. Now, enjoy!**

 **Jadrockz:** You're right, it's "Hello" with Adele! I love that song, it's on repeat right now all the time! Unfortunately I cannot send you a snipped card since you don't have an account! But if you get one, I'll send it to you then!

 **Noctus Fury:** Is this chapter the end of stubbornness? I don't know, but things feelings will shift at least! ;) Hahaha I love writing about the maids, they had such a small part in my draft and they are mentioned in nearly every chapter! Also happy you like Ingrid and Snotlout, more of those two to come!

 **Laidyx:** I'm happy the baby brought you some brightness, the healing of your heart will hopefully continue with this chapter. As for Elsa convincing Hiccup... I just hope he dosen't change her mind again. She will need some allies I think if he decides to be stubborn, but then I did say there was one ;)  
As for Mexico, it sounds like such a hard reality. I have never been afraid in my life in that way before last week when ISIS threatened Stockholm in Sweden. I was going to Stockholm that weekend but cancelled my trip. Nothing happened, but feeling the terror of not knowing is horrible.

 **Guest:** I'm glad it was worth the wait and I hope this chapter will be worth the wait as well. When it comes to Rapunzel and Eugene they won't make an appearance again for now, but they will be mentioned and still be a part of the story.

 **AysoCreamo:** I really don't know what to respond to your review, I actually had read it two times because I felt so happy and grateful for your kind words. To know you barely read unfinished stories and rarely comment makes me feel even more honored you've taken the time to tell me what you think! It's hearing people loving what you do that makes you want to become even better and know I find you to be just as amazing! Without my readers, this story would never exist, so thank you!  
I also think Anna and Kristoff will be wonderful parents. As for the reunion, you just have to read this chapter!

* * *

 **16.**

"Mom!" Hiccup's angry voice rang through the blacksmith where Valka and Gobber were talking about a new way to design claws for dragons who had lost theirs, both looking at each other with calm expressions at their Chief's voice since they had waited for Hiccup to seek them out.

"Sounds like the lad has finally gotten the news." Gobber chuckled, Valka smiling at him when Hiccup appeared before them with an extremely angry expression on his face that was very rare.

"What is this?!" He shouted angrily, pushing a paper into Valka's hands. She read it slowly while Gobber leaned over and read it over her shoulder, the latter unable to hide the smile on his face.

"It looks like a positive answer to an invitation to your cousin's wedding." Valka answered calmly, allowing Gobber to take the paper as he held it in front of his face while pretending to inspect it closely.

"In the most perfect handwriting I've ever seen, I must say I'm a little impressed." Gobber added, not sounding at all surprised by the turn of events.

"Wait, you were in on this as well?" Hiccup asked with disbelief, looking even angrier when Gobber lay down the paper on the table and just gave him a smug smile.

"Ye know me, I've got to know everything that goes around here, if I don't I can never relax fully. So I'm very happy ye brought us the letter Hiccup. I must say it was an extremely polite…"

"I know what it says!" Hiccup snapped, his old mentor doing his best to hold back a laugh at the clear distress behind Hiccup's anger. "What I want to know is what you did to make Snotlout and Ingrid invite her?! They would've never come up with the idea themselves!" Hiccup glared at his mother who just sent him an innocent look.

"I merely mentioned the possibility that Queen Elsa might attend if they sent her an invitation and that it's custom to invite someone who invited you. I didn't know if they would send the letter, though I'm very happy they did it since it's Ingrid's wish to meet a Queen." Valka replied calmly.

"Very kind and thoughtful of ye mother if ye ask me, Hiccup." Gobber added with a serious expression.

"Mighty Thor! Not only do I have to deal with the fact that my mother suddenly thinks she has some right to dictate my life, now I have deal with the fact that you think you can do it as well!" Hiccup exclaimed angrily.

"I hardly dictate your life Hiccup." Valka answered, knowing he was only this angry because they had managed to do exactly what he had been to stubborn to do himself.

"No?! Then why did you go behind my back when I told you I'd take care of it?!" Hiccup shouted.

"Because sending that letter would've been extremely rude, the Queen had a right to decide for herself if she wanted to come or if she wanted to send someone else. Besides, you said yourself that Snotlout and Ingrid were allowed to invite whoever they wished and they wished to Queen Elsa." Valka replied, Hiccup opening his mouth to contradict her when Gobber jumped in.

"But if this upsets ye so Hiccup, ye can just send a new letter to the Queen where ye explain your wish and talk to Snotlout and Ingrid. Ye're their Chief, they'd be sad but they'd listen and I think the Queen would accept your letter." Gobber said causally, doing his best to hold back a smile when Hiccup suddenly snapped his mouth shut. He was still glaring at them, but most of the anger had gone away.

For a moment, none of them said anything, but both Valka and Gobber could see that while Hiccup wasn't happy, he had no intention to draw back the invitation either. There was more light in his eyes than it had been for the past three months and even though it was from anger, it still told them that the mere knowledge that the Queen was coming to Berk had awoken something in him.

"I can't draw back the invitation now and I'm not going to break Ingrid's dreams." He finally muttered. "But if any of you try to plot behind my back again, when I've strictly told you I'll handle something, I'll send both of you to live on some abandoned island up north!" He told them with force before he stalked out of the blacksmith, muttering different insults that made Gobber a little impressed while Valka pretended didn't heart them at all.

"He can't wait till she's here." She only said instead with a smile.

"No kidding, the lad's just like his dad. The angrier he gets, the more it means to him. He'll praise us to the skies once she's here." Gobber chuckled, the two resuming to their previous work.

At the same time, a certain Chief was trying to tell himself that his decision to not withdraw the invitation was simply because it would have been very rude and that the sudden excitement he felt for the coming wedding had nothing to do with Elsa at all.

Nothing at all.

* * *

"I still can't believe you are actually going, it's so romantic!" Anna exclaimed, giving Elsa a second hug in the span of two minutes as Elsa just hugged her back, trying to hold back a laugh when Anna started crying… again.

While all pregnancies were different, Anna had gotten the bad luck to receive emotions that raced everywhere. Poor Kristoff had been forced to handle both outbursts of anger and tears for the most trivial things. To his credit, he was soiled as a rock and took it all like with great calm. Still, everyone in the castle couldn't wait for when Anna had passed through this state of the pregnancy.

"Anna, I know you mean well but you've got to let me leave now or I will stay behind to make sure you can handle everything." Elsa said, chuckling when Anna let go off her quickly and tried to compose herself.

"I'm fine! Doctor Jonson said this will soon pass and you have to go." Anna said with conviction, before sending her sister a compassionate look. "Now how are you feeling?"

"I don't know, I mostly wonder what will happen and how it will be to see him again." Elsa told her, for honestly didn't know what she feeling. It was a strange mix of dread, excitement and nervousness, but also happiness, happiness that see would soon see Hiccup and that Anna had start to asking Elsa how she felt at times, instead of just expecting her sister to tell her.

"At least we'll not have to worry about you crossing the northern seas, even if I'm slightly jealous your journey will be so much shorter." Kristoff said, placing his arm around Anna to offer her some comfort.

"Yes, that is something." Anna agreed while Elsa sent them a small smile, feeling her own nervousness rise slightly.

"Now are you sure you will have everything under control? Sharpy will travel with us so he can return to tell you that I've made it there safely and so you can get a message to me quickly if something would happen. And if…" Elsa began, once again wondering what she was doing, why she leaving leaving. It really was stupid; it was such a risk. What if things didn't turn out the way she wanted?

Thankfully Anna broke in before her thoughts rushed away.

"We'll handle it, now you are the one procrastinating things! I have Kristoff to back me up along with Olof, Sven, and everyone else. We'll be fine!" Anna told her firmly, giving Elsa one last big hug. "Just promise me you'll come home." She whispered to Elsa who felt her heart beat faster in her chest.

"No matter what I always will come home. Take care of the little one now." Elsa said, both of them having tears in their eyes as they let go off each other.

"You look after them both of them or I'll hunt you down and nail you to a spike." Elsa told Kristoff when he gave her a goodbye-hug as well, her new brother simply smiling at her since he had gotten used to her threats ever since Elsa had found out about the baby.

"You know I will." He answered, Elsa taking a deep breath, looking at her family, when Anna suddenly pushed her kindly in the direction of the ship.

"Stop thinking so much! Go get your man!" She said, Elsa glaring at her as she threw a look at everyone around them to make sure no one had heard.

Thankfully, no one was close by.

Taking one last deep breath Elsa then boarded the ship that would take her north and when they left shore she stood by the railing, looking at Anna, Kristoff, Olof and Sven until they were just small spots in the horizon.

"Are you alright, your majesty?" Kai asked her as she dried away a lone tear before smiling towards her loyal and insightful captain.

"Of course, I'm always alright." She answered, gathering her racing thoughts as her captain sent her a compassionate, knowing look. "You should know I am very happy you are with me Kai; I don't know if I would have gone without you." She told him honestly.

"I would've rather cut off my own foot, Queen Elsa, than have leave you in the care of anyone else than myself. Especially when you're going to a strange land." He told her and she could see that he truly meant every word. It made her feel very strangely comforted, and very happy, to know she had somehow earned his unwavering loyalty.

"Then I'm very happy there was no need for such drastic measures." She replied.

"As am I, one of the housemaids had probably done it if it meant they could've taken my place." He told her drily, Elsa chuckling as she thought about the battle Mrs. Tomson had told her about that had been going on downstairs from the moment the maids had found out there was a possibility one of them might go to Berk.

"The most horrible thing about that is that you're probably right. Still, I personally believe the real reason you are here is simply because you couldn't handle the thought that I would boss around your soldiers without you." She told him with a smile.

"And here I thought I was good at being subtle." He laughed. Around them the wind around was picking up speed as Arendelle grew smaller and smaller at the horizon.

"A Queen knows everything; didn't you know that Kai?" Elsa replied with humor, looking out over the open ocean that lay ahead of them, knowing it was now no turning back and strangely enough the knowledge felt completely right.

* * *

It was very strange to go from having her days overflowing with meetings, places to be and people to meet to have nothing to do at all. Elsa couldn't help with anything on the ship, except for not being in the way of the sailors, and while this in the beginning had made her climb the walls, she had after a week started to relax a little.

The captain had been kind enough to clear a small area in the front of the ship where she could sit and read whenever she liked, or just look out over the never-ending ocean that was the only thing that seemed to exist now. That time alone had given her some time to reflect upon her life, realizing with a bit of fear how fast it was passing her by and how different life was to everyone.

While she had a lot to do as Queen, she could have done as so many before her and allowed her kingdom be ruled by her council so she could have lived a life full of luxury as many of the noble families at court did. But she had chosen a different path that gave her meaning, but that also had taken up so much of her time that she hadn't had the chance to stop and think about where she was going.

It was true that before Hiccup, she had never thought about marrying. She had thought she would be happy living her life serving her people, but now things were different. She missed having someone around she trusted and could tell everything, the closeness of another human being. It was different than it was with Anna, they were sisters and she loved her, but feeling how someone completed and understood a part of yourself you couldn't understand on your own was… special.

During her time on the ship Elsa had also spent a lot of time with Kai. During the Vikings visit, after Mr. Beltham had attacked her, Astrid managed to persuade Elsa to receive some lessons in self defense an d Elsa had found it to be both challenging and really fun. So after the Vikings leave Elsa had managed to convince Kai to continue the training. Kai however, had been very clear that he would not teach her to used any weapons. Instead they had focused on Elsa using her power to defend herself and keep an opponent at bay.

During their journey, they had been unable to keep on with the training, but Kai had instead given her lessons in tactics and how to look for weak points in your opponent.

Overall this meant that she had had things to do during their time on the ship, but that didn't mean she wasn't extremely happy when she finally put her feet back on solid ground after a little more than two weeks at sea. Another person who was extremely happy for being back at shore was her lady's maid Brigitte, the poor woman having spent most of her time trying to fight her constant seasickness ever since they left Arendelle.

The town they were making a small stop in was one of the last larger outposts before you entered into the parts of the northern seas that was controlled by the Viking tribes. It was not a part of Arendelle and thankfully, since no one knew about their arrival, the harbor was quite empty when they entered shore. Only a blond tall woman dressed in a fur hood stood waiting for them when they walked off the ship.

"Astrid!" Elsa exclaimed with happiness a little surprised when Astrid actually gave her a hug in greeting. "How good it is to see you again, you look well." Elsa told her, Astrid giving her a grimace.

"That's a miracle considering my company." At her words, Elsa sent her a questioning look that Astrid ignored. "I've ordered a chariot to take your things. We landed outside of the city so the people here wouldn't panic, something they still have a tendency of doing despite the fact they should be used to dragons by now." She continued, sending a glare to a man who was watching them not so subtly.

"That sounds wise." Elsa smiled at her before Kai and her other two guards greeted Astrid happily, Astrid's smile much larger as they began talking while the man who drove the chariot took care of their bags. Then, on Kai's orders, Elsa took her place within the chariot along with Brigitte before they started moving out of the city.

Around them, the landscape was covered in a thin layer of snow and the cold was much more prominent than it usually was in Arendelle this time of the year. The journey out of town didn't take long and soon high trees surrounded them that shut out the last rays of the sun, the chariot stopping when they after a short while reached a fairly large meadow.

Exiting the chariot, Elsa noticed that the rest of Astrid's company was not to be seen and seeing her looking around, Astrid explained that the dragons couldn't be present while the horses were around. Unloading the bags, it only took a minute after the horses had left for three large shapes to descend from the sky and land gracefully on the ground.

Of the three dragons, Elsa recognized both Stormfly and Meatlug, while the third, that had two heads and was easily the largest, was one she had never seen before.

"Did everything go alright Astrid?" Fishlegs called to them as he glided off of Meatlug and began walking over to them.

"Why wouldn't it have gone well?" She asked with a frown that caused Fishlegs to swallow nervously.

"Just making conversation!" He said quickly, Elsa chuckling at their familiar bickering as he turned to her. "Queen Elsa, how lovely to see you again my lady." He told her with a smile, taking off his helmet and giving her a small bow.

"It's good to see you too Fishelgs, though I must admit that I didn't think it would be so soon." Elsa answered.

"If people didn't exist on getting married all of the time it wouldn't have been so soon, but what can we do? The elders are besides themselves though, they have been begging for our generation to start settling down." Astrid said with a sour expression that left both Fishlegs and Elsa unsure how to respond. Thankfully they didn't have to as a new voice suddenly echoed through the meadow.

"Fair Freyja!" The blond man of the two nearly identical Vikings exclaimed with huge eyes as he suddenly sprinted over to them and came into a halt, on his kness, in front of Elsa, looking up at her with his arms outstretched. It almost looked like he was going to preach to her.

"I thank the Gods for having sent us this fair maiden from Valhalla, her beauty surpassing even that of what has previously been the outmost perfection; my maze. Lady-Queen-Snow of beauty, I'll be your humble servant, I'll kill a thousand beings of any kind if you wish it!" He said, looking completely serious while all Elsa could do was stare at him she as wondered how she should respond.

To her annoyance she could also see that instead of glaring like he usually did, Kai was simply doing his best not to laugh. Sending him a glare, Elsa then turned back to the man on the ground and felt herself go into her role as Queen.

"There will be no need to kill anything." Elsa told him with her most serious voice when he looked honestly disappointed.

"Bummer, my mother makes a killer rabbit soup, but I can offer you my arms instead! I can carry you so your small feet won't get tired or you could just walk on me, that might be easier." He added the last in afterthought as Astrid sighed and counted to three.

"Tuff, if you really want to help instead of talking nonsense you can take the bags with Ruff so we can get out of here!" Astrid told him sharply.

"Hey! We're not here to be some carrying animals!" The woman, whom Elsa understood was named Ruff, exclaimed.

"Yeah! We only do what the Snowfair maiden commands us to do! You can't order us around!" Tuff answered, seemingly completely unfazed by Astrid's slightly furious expression.

"I think Astrid's idea sounds like a good plan, my captain and his men can help you." Elsa therefore interfered, beginning to understand Astrid's earlier remark on her travel companions, as she gestured to her men and sent Kai an innocent smile

"Your wish is my command!" The Viking said as he flew up from the ground, saluting her before he grabbed hold of Kai who now glared at her instead, Astrid following them with a hold of her own on the other blond woman that was protesting loudly.

"Looks like we have finally found a way to deal with Ruff and Tuff, or at least Tuff." Fishlegs laughed as they looked after the group.

"I don't know if I should be flattered or disturbed." Elsa replied honestly, Fishlegs smiling at her.

"To be honest I'm not sure either." He said, getting a little red on in the face when Elsa chuckled. "So did the journey go well?"

"So far." Elsa answered as she followed him to greet Meatlug, the Gronckle seemingly very happy at seeing her. She became even more happy when Sharpshot, who had been traveling in a special bag on Elsa's back, came out to greet her as well. "It was very kind of you to come and pick us up." Elsa said.

"No question about it, Hiccup never would've allowed you to go any further anyway. Only Vikings have ships that are strong enough travel over the northern oceans now and we are the only ones skilled enough to navigate through this time of the year as well." Fishlegs answered, noticing how Elsa got a slightly far away look when he mentioned Hiccup.

"I can see that Chief Haddock has to be very busy with the wedding?" She asked casually, as Fishlegs noticed how she pretended to be fully focused on Meatlug and Sharpshot. Looking at her, Fishlegs couldn't fully stop the sadness within. He had always known he had no chance with her, but he had still felt sad when he had seen Hiccup's and Elsa's goodbye before they left Arendelle.

Since he knew they probably didn't know he had seen the small act of affection, he had never said anything to Hiccup. Though when he had noticed that his friend was getting back into his old shell, he had tried getting him out of it by reminding him of Elsa and the fact that if he could get a woman like her, he should take the chance.

It had however been four months, and even though it was clear that Hiccup still felt something for the Elsa, he had not known about her. At least not until now.

"It's a lot to be done and he was really happy we could give him a break from the twins." Fishlegs told her, both of them looking over at the twins who where just now arguing over something while Astrid watched with a tired look. Her guards on the other hand looked a little stunned.

"I can kind of see why." Elsa chuckled.

"But he'll be there when you get there, he's missed you." Fishlegs told her, realizing his mistake when Elsa sent him a look that seemed to read him like an open book. "Like all of us." He therefore added, blushing under her gaze that turned softer and warm.

"I've missed you too Fishlegs, you're a kind man. Any woman will be lucky to have you." She told him, making him certain she was aware that he still had a small crush on her. Though her words didn't hurt him as they once had for he knew they were meant to be friends and he was okay with that.

"Okay people, let's get out of here!" Astrid's voice rang out over the meadow as they turned to her. "Elsa, you're traveling with me, Hiccup's straight orders so that give won't have Kai more of a heart attack than necessary. The rest of you can divide yourselves the best you like, I don't care!" Astrid shouted as Elsa sent Fishlegs a small smile before following Astrid over to Stormfly.

"Do you need a hand?" Astrid asked her since Stormfly was even larger than Toothless.

"I can manage." Elsa replied, creating a pillar of ice that shoot out of the ground so she could easily take her place on the dragon, happy Stormfly still seemed to accept her. At the action, Tuffnut whistled and shouted to her that he would build her the pedestal she deserved causing his sister to hit him hard in the head at his words.

"Was he serious before?" Elsa asked Astrid once they were up in the air, throwing a look at Tuff who was hanging upside down on the two-headed dragon, waving to her.

"Tuffnut? He was as serious as any of those two ever get. No one ever understands how they are thinking, which often makes me wonder how often their mother dropped them on their heads when they were little. Hiccup only insisted that they'd come so they couldn't cause any more disasters on Berk. One more and I think they would've been killed actually." Astrid answered with a grin.

"So it's a stressed bride?" Elsa asked with a smile.

"More like a much stressed groom." Astrid answered which caused Elsa to laugh, knowing from very recent firsthand experience how it was to handle a stressed wedding couple.

"And it's a slightly stressed Chief as well if I understood Fishlegs correct." Elsa replied, Astrid hiding the small scowl that appeared on her face at Elsa's words.

"Not so much I think. Fishelgs always exaggerates, you know how he is." She only said before she went on telling Elsa everything she had to expect from the coming wedding, not wanting to talk about Hiccup at all with the other woman.

* * *

Hiccup was tired. Not only that, he also had a headache and wanted nothing more than for someone else to deal with his extremely stressed cousin who was asking if Ingrid's wedding-gift was "extraordinary" for what felt like the hundredth time. The gift was very good, which he had told Snotlout again and again, but no matter how many times he said it it seemed to be enough.

What Hiccup did find extraordinary though, was how a man who tried so extremely hard to appear unfazed by his coming wedding could fail so miserably. Snotlout was literally driving everyone a little insane and Hiccup had become the one to keep an eye on him. The only good thing about this was that it didn't give him much to reflect upon Elsa's arrival.

While he had finally given up his bad attempts at trying to deny his feelings for her, he could not allow himself to think about how it would be to see her again since he was afraid he would wish to see something in her that was no longer there. It was a constant fear that mixed with the excitement he had felt ever since he knew she would come.

Giving in to the fact that his feelings for Elsa would not go away had been a long process, but when he had demanded that Elsa would travel with Astrid to Berk simply because he had been jealous of Fishlegs he had given up. The fierce envy that had flooded through him in that moment was fueled by the simple fact that he wouldn't be the first to see her and there hadn't been any point trying to convince himself of anything else.

In any other scenario, Hiccup would've gone to greet her instead of Fishlegs or the twins, but with Snotlout running around…

"I'm telling you it needs to be higher, Bucket!" Snotlout told poor Bucket who was glaring at him tiredly.

"Uhm... Snotlout, weren't we going to cheek on Hookfang?" Hiccup asked with a tired voice, hoping to steer his cousin's attention away from the other Viking.

"Right! Let's go and put it higher Bucket!" Snotlout shouted as continued walking in a fast pace, Hiccup sending Bucket an apologetic look and told him the runes were in a good height before he followed after Snotlout.

"You know Hiccup; I think this will be the best wedding in Berkian history!" Snotlout said proudly, looking around with a pleased expression when the Horn of arrival was heard echoing over Berk. Hearing it, Snotlout got a panicked expression on his face. "It's the Queen, it's the Queen! I have to go get Ingrid, see you later Hiccup! Get out of my way, I've got to fetch a bride!" Snotlout shouted to Hiccup and a few Vikings who was in the way his way as he rushed towards Ingrid's house as fast as he could.

"If nothing else it will be the wedding where the groom was most likely to be killed before it even started." Hiccup muttered to himself, seeing the tired looks that were thrown after Snotlout.

However, his tiredness was washed away when he realized that Elsa would soon be on Berk, he would see her again. It wasn't just him who as excited about her arrival though, the news spread like wildfire and soon the Vikings, who only the before had complained about everything that needed to be done, were all walking down to the arena to hopefully get a glimpse of the foreign Queen.

Following them, Hiccup felt how his stomach turned into a painful knot of nervousness and excitement for every step he took. It wasn't only from the fact that he would soon meet Elsa, it was also because he was a little worried about what she would think of Berk. He had told her much about his home, but he knew still knew it would differ a lot from the world she was used to.

"It's almost more commotion here now than during dragon racing, or what do you say Chief?" Eret asked, walking up next to him as they entered the arena and could see all the Vikings that were looking down at them with excited faces.

"I suppose they are eager to compare a Queen to a Princess." Hiccup replied causally, knowing that in reality the Vikings were mostly curios to see if everything Fishlegs had told them was true. "At least the mental breakdown from this morning is forgotten." He added, remembering how one of the older Vikings had nearly jumped on Snotlout earlier that day.

"If you hadn't interfered when you did Chief I actually think old Horach would've beaten a few of Snotlout's teethes out!" Eret laughed as Toothless landed next to them while Valka and Gobber walked into the arena. Sitting down on the ground next to Hiccup, Toothless was shivering with anticipation at the prospect of meeting Elsa.

Thankfully, even though he did share his dragon's enthusiasm, Hiccup wasn't shaking. At least he hoped he didn't.

"This wedding can't come soon enough." Gobber muttered with a sour expression when he and Valka joined them as well. "Just last night Snotlout tried to tell me how to create the axe his dad is giving him as a wedding present."

"What did you tell him?" Eret asked, looking a little curious.

"Tell him? I threw him out! The lad has never put a foot inside me blacksmith before and I'll not take advice from a man who doesn't even know the right end of a hammer." Gobber exclaimed, Eret giving him a pat on the shoulder while they all chuckled.

"Don't you worry, soon you'll sight one most beautiful of women if we've been rightly informed by Fishlegs." Eret said.

"Not sure that'll cheer me up much, but I do think watching all of ye might." Gobber answered with a grin, Hiccup and his mother exchanging an amused look when they saw Eret's confused expression. They didn't get a chance to explain though since Snotlout came running into the arena with Ingrid in his arms, breathing heavily.

"We made it, didn't I tell you that we'd make it baby?" Snotlout said between deep breaths to Ingrid who smiled at him with amusement, her eyes glittering as she looked at him.

"You did, now will you put me down?" She asked, Snotlout quickly doing as she said while he tried to look completely unfazed by his run.

"Of course, you're just so light that I didn't even feel you in my arms." He answered, Ingrid just chuckling and rolling her eyes at him in response before she kissed his cheek and took a hold of his arm, Snotlout looking at her with a goofy smile and dazed eyes.

"I still can't believe an actual Queen are coming here!" Ingrid said excitingly to them, looking up into the sky where the three dragons were going in for landing. Seeing them, Hiccup felt that all he wanted to do was run away so he could get control over his swirling emotions inside while another part of him kept him rooted place so he wouldn't miss a second.

Also he was the Chief and there was no way he could leave now, he needed to be here and greet the guests.

When the dragons finally landed in all sound turned into excited whispers while everyone tried to make sure they wouldn't miss anything that was going on. They watched how all of their friends jumped off of their dragons with ease and how two royal guards, along with a small woman in her middle ages, followed after the twins since they had been riding on Barf and Belch.

The guards were dressed in the usual Ardellian armor with details in purple, gold and green, while the woman was dressed in a dark purple dress and a green coat. The guards were fairly young and Hiccup could see that they were looking around nervously. The only one who looked unfazed by the situation was Kai, though Hiccup could see he was scanning the area carefully as he jumped off of Mealtug to walk over to Astrid and Stormfly.

When his eyes landed on Hiccup he gave him a small nod in greeting that Hiccup returned, knowing that the captain probably only saw him as the only ally in a strange world of different threats. After all, if it was someone the captain had always watched with extra caution it had been Hiccup.

When Kai reached Stormfly, a collective hush went through the arena as Astrid gestured for her dragon to lower her head so her other passenger could get off. In the corner of his eyes, Hiccup saw how Ruff grabbed a hold on Tuff so she could hold him back when a white creature came into view. With grace, a hand clad in a dark blue glove took the hand Kai offered in support before she took a few steps so she came into better view.

With each step she took, a dark blue dress could be seen underneath the snow white cape that covered her fully with a fur hood that hid her face from view. Then Elsa let go off Kai's hand and, with her dark gloves contrasting strongly against the white, she reached up and let the hood fall.

When her face came into view, the whole arena became deathly quiet as everyone stared at the Queen in awe. She was a vision as she stood regally in front of them. Her ice-blue eyes were alert, calculating and curios as she looked around, a calm expression on her face despite the fact that his entire tribe surrounded her. Her hair, which was in her usual braid, was slightly golden in the last rays of the sun, but Hiccup also noticed there was a new air of confidence around her that he had only begun to see before they left.

Seeing her again, Hiccup felt how pain his heart had caused him for so long was replaced by something else. It was a longing to take her in his arms and at the mere thought his heart started beating faster as it sent tingles through his body instead of shards of pain. He also realized his memory of her had never done her justice, it never would and he never wanted her to only be a memory again.

Then her eyes met his across the arena and it was like the last four months had never existed. When he looked at her what had been missing for so long was suddenly there, the world seemed to fall away around him and become right at the same time. For a second time stopped as they simply stared at each other. For a moment their defenses were down and they could see the battle of emotions this meeting brought both of them, but then Elsa's eyes turned the prefect level of warm politeness and Hiccup's did the same.

This was not the time for their personal feelings, now they needed to be the ones they were born to be.

Watching the Queen walk, or more float, over to their Chief, every Viking felt a new level of respect for him as he without any hesitation shook her hand with a calm expression and a friendly smile. Watching him, everyone wondered how he could be so unfazed by her presence when she appeared to be an unearthly creature. They became even more surprised when the Queen turned her attention to Toothless and the dragon happily allowed her to scratch him under his chin in greeting before she turned back to Hiccup.

"Chief Haddock, it's wonderful to see you again." Elsa told him, her eyes glittering slightly as she sent him a small smile. Hearing her voice again, Hiccup did his best not to smile like a fool as he also tried to ignore the cold that was still lingering on his hand that had shook hers. He really couldn't focus on that now.

"As it is to see you Queen Elsa, I hope the journey went well." He answered, seeing how she put on her glove again after having greeted Toothless and how she slightly flexed her fingers. It made him wonder if he affected her like see affected him? It was something he would have to find out, at another time of course.

"It did, thank you. Also I must say I feel quite honored to have a welcoming-committee of this size." She replied, gesturing to all the staring Vikings as Hiccup looked around tiredly.

"Apparently my tribe has nothing better to do one day before a big wedding than trying to scare our guests by staring at them until they feel the need to hide somewhere." He answered with a sharp edge to his voice that caused most the watching Vikings to look a little sheepish. "Meaning perhaps they should get back to work." Hiccup added, this time getting the wanted effect as most of them walked away, only a few children who managed to escape their mothers staying behind.

"I can see I don't have to worry about if their Chief keeps them in check at least." Elsa said with a smile, her comment causing both Valka and Gobber to laugh. Smiling at her while he introduced her to them, Hiccup felt a huge amount of relief that neither of them said anything inappropriate and nothing with hidden puns.

"Now here are the bride and groom, Ingrid and Snotlout who is my cousin." Hiccup told Elsa next, the pair walking up to her. Looking at them, Elsa knew she never would've guessed that the man in front of her had any relation to Hiccup at all. Snotlout was a very bulky man and not the tallest, he was also staring at her with a dazed expression that made her wonder if he was a little behind.

Ingrid on the other hand looked at her with dark brown that shoe with excitement. She was a pretty young woman around seventeen years old, a round face and dark brown hair that matched her eyes.

"I have heard so much about you Queen Elsa, it's an honor to meet you, I don't even know what to say." She said very quickly, holding onto Snotlout seemingly more for this sake than her own.

"Oh I hope you haven't heard too much; I don't think I would be able to live up to the expectations. However, it's lovely to meet you both. I was very happy to receive an invitation." Elsa replied with a smile as Ingrid blushed and giggled nervously.

"it was nothing and you don't really know if meeting us will be lovely, I mean you just got here and to know if it is lovely you'd have to have been here for a while and I just have to ask; are you not going to curtsy?" Ingrid said in one breath, a very innocent and curios look on her face at the end.

If they had been in Arendelle any other person would've been highly offended by Ingrid's words and probably demanded a duel. Thankfully, Elsa was used to the Vikings forwardness after spending so much time with himself and his friends, but she was also not just anyone and she was a master at reading people. While Hiccup could see she was a little surprised by the question, but not offended the slightest, he still felt like he wanted beat his head into a wall, or drown himself somewhere.

"I suppose you are right." Elsa began after a small pause during which she had studied the woman in front of her. "Very well, when my stay come to an end, I promise to tell you if the meeting has been lovely or not. As for the curtsying, I thought you didn't do that here?" She asked Ingrid kindly who smiled back at her.

"No we don't, but I'd like to see it." Ingrid said, her eyes glittering.

"If you want to I can teach you while I'm here." Elsa answered and once again Hiccup felt how much he respected her for being so understanding towards their, to her, open way of expressing themselves.

"I'd love that! Also, I have to excuse Snotlout. I know he is happy that you're here, he just loses his tongue when he is admiring a beautiful woman." Ingrid said with a grin, having noticed the lack of speech from the man next to her.

At her words though, Snotlout came to life and looked at his fiancée with panicked eyes.

"Baby, you know I have only eyes for you and no one else." He said, which only caused Ingrid to laugh while she gave him a peak on the lips.

"I know, now we need to go fix the last things before tomorrow. Astrid you coming?" Ingrid asked Astrid who looked like she wanted to object, but with a slightly sour expression she said nothing and only followed the wedding-couple out of the arena.

When they were gone, Eret was the last one Elsa hadn't been introduced to and the moment her eyes landed on him, Hiccup saw how a charming smile spread over Eret's face.

"I must say, Fishlegs wasn't lying when he said he had bestowed his eyes upon the most beautiful woman walking on this earth. But not even his descriptions have made you justice Queen of the South." He told her before Hiccup had the chance to say anything. Walking up to her, Eret took Elsa's gloved hand in his and gave it a kiss. "I'm Eret, son of Eret, Chief Haddock's right hand when it comes to Berk's connections with the other tribes." He said, sending her a charming smile while he still held onto her hand.

To Hiccup's great irritation, Elsa didn't reclaim it from him, instead she just smiled back at Eret.

"A man of words amongst Vikings. I must say I am impressed." At her words Eret looked a little pleased while Hiccup suddenly felt the anger rise within at the fact that he couldn't do anything. The jealousy was powerful and all he wanted to do was to send Eret to the Edge the first thing in the morning on some urgent business. It was actually a pretty good idea when he thought about it.

"Words come easy when a man has inspiration, your majesty." Eret answered with a grin, Hiccup feeling even more annoyed when Elsa laughed. She rarely laughed in the company of those she didn't know, why now?

"And how many women have you had falling at your feet with that line?" Elsa asked Eret with a pointed look, a little surprised over how much the man in front of her reminded her about Eugene.

"A secret number, but by your response I draw the conclusion that it didn't work on you." Eret answered, Elsa chuckling since she knew Eugene would have answered something similar.

"Hardly." She replied drily, seeing that her words were taken without any hurt by the other man who just chuckled and gave her a smile.

"Well I suppose that's my cue to help with the bags to get back in your good graces, and I might also talk to your companion a bit." He answered, Elsa looking after him as he walked passed Brigitte and sent her a glowing smile that caused her maid to blush.

"Should I be worried that he'll steel her away from me?" Elsa asked Hiccup who had walked up next to her, both of them watching as her two guards helped Eret with the bags while Kai and Brigitte followed them, the latter still looking very dazed.

"Eret is a charmer, but he respects women. Even if he doesn't show it." He said answered, muttering the last part with a slight edge to his voice that he couldn't keep out and, to his great irritation, he could see how both his mother and Gobber picked up it as on his they did their best to hold back their knowing smiles.

Even Elsa seemed to pick up on his mood since she sent him an amused smile, but she also oddly enough looked a little pleased.

"I see." She only answered as they began walking up into the Village together, following Eret and the others so Elsa could see where she would live during her stay. "But you know, I still think the charmers can only be tamed by Rapunzel, they are not really my type after all. I like the thinkers better." She added, causally.

"And why is that?" Hiccup asked, feeling his heart speed up a little as she sent him a warm glance and he felt how the tension increased between them.

"I have just found out recently that they make me feel something special." She replied, looking at him with piercing eyes that made him forget about the fact that his mother and Gobber was walking behind them, he only saw her. Then she smiled and the easy look was back in her eyes. "And it would be tiresome to bury him in snow every time he misbehaved." She added as he grinned down at her.

"Right, because you seemed to find it very boring when you did it to Eugene." He replied as Elsa chuckled, making him reconsider sending Eret to the edge. After all, it was a perhaps a little drastic.

After that they both fell back into their more formal roles as they walked through Berk, enquiring about more trivial things as neither of them even noticed that Valka, Gobber and Fishlegs was talking quietly behind them about times, places and bets.

* * *

 **So they are reunited and the next chapter will be focused on them! Now how does a relationship change when you have feelings for someone and you still don't know if you can be with that person? Tricky question!**

 **Now the next chapter is almost done and if I get the time and you wish it, I might be able to update before the weekend! But no promises!**

 **Until next time dear readers!  
/Lysistrate**


	17. Chapter 17

**So much Hiccelsa in this chapter, so many things that are said and that also remain unsaid. I did consider cutting this short, but I posted all of it anyway so see it as a small treat!**

 **Laidyx** : I'm happy to hear your heart is healed and happy, but also that you found the last chapter funny! :D Haha Tuff is indeed a master of overreactions, so much that you can really go crazy with him! As for a direct approach, one needs to learn who you are approaching for that to work out well ;)

 **Noctus Fury:** Haha I wish sometimes things were so simple and tension is indeed something you can have a lot of fun with hehe. Really glad you liked Eret/Brigitte and lord do I fear what went on among the maids, I don't even want to know!

 **Guest:** Ohh I do hope you'll like it and know things will keep on happening, there is still a lot to be solved!

* * *

17

"And then he grabbed hold off my arm and…"

"And he tore it off, yes we know!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut said in chorus as Gobber glared at them.

"Ye two might, but it wasn't ye I was telling the story." Gobber answered, gesturing towards Elsa and Kai who was sitting next to him by the fire. At his sour expression Elsa smiled at the blond older Viking while Kai chuckled.

"You are still a very good storyteller Gobber." Elsa told him as Gobber laughed in response and thanked her before he started telling them the story about how he had lost his leg. When he began, Elsa threw a look at Hiccup who was sitting across the fire watching them with a small smile and when he met her ice-blue, Hiccup sent her an apologetic look which she answered with an amused smile before she turned her full attention back to Gobber.

"I like her." Valka said from her place next to Hiccup, having watched the whole silent exchange between her son and the Queen with a smile on her face.

"And you've decided that after simply a few hours in her company?" Hiccup asked, taking his eyes of the Queen to look at his mother with skeptical expression that caused Valka to laugh a little.

"I do. She seems to have a kind, understanding, heart. After all not many would've simply brushed off what Ingrid said before, even if the poor girl meant nothing ill with it. She is also polite and it's very clear she is highly intelligent from the way she acts. Besides, the dragons like her and I trust them." Valka answered, both she and Hiccup looking over at Toothless who was laying next to Elsa, with his tail behind her in a protective manner, while he listened to Gobber's story as well.

"They do." Hiccup agreed with a small smile at scene. "Though I think her control over ice and snow might partly be the reason why they trust her so quickly. I mean, both Toothless and Sharpshot noticed early on that something was different with her and the Bewilderbeasts use ice instead of fire." Hiccup told his mother, looking back at her with a thoughtful expression on his face. At his words a similar expression spread over her own.

"That's not impossible, though not even a natural born alpha can gain trust through his power alone. If the alpha isn't trusted, they can only rule through pure force to control the dragons around them. That means that despite their natural advantage, they still have to gain trust to reach full power." She answered, not thinking much about what she had said until she saw how Hiccup's eyes glazed over with darkness.

"No that's true." He answered shortly, his voice sharp and harsh, as he looked away from her to hide his sad expresson and so he could shut himself away from her again. Without a doubt, she knew that his reaction came from the fact that her words had reminded him about Stoick's death and she felt how the hopelessness and sorrow spread within. Suddenly feeling watched, Valka across the fire only to notice that Queen Elsa was silently studying them with a small frown on her face. For a second their eyes met and, while Valka didn't try to hide anything, the Queen's open expression was instantly replaced with a kind smile and unreadable eyes.

At first, Valka thought she had read the situation wrong and that the young woman had no intention at all to join them, but then the Queen suddenly excused herself to Gobber, the twins and her captain before rose and walked over to them with a her face as unreadable as ever. In fact, it had surprised Valka greatly how extremely masterful the Queen had turned out to be at hiding her emotions. It was almost a little uncanny how the other could completely turn into a perfect mask no one could see through, but she had not been able to hide everything since Valka had known what to look for. She had, since the Queen's arrival, seen clear signs of deeper emotions between the Queen and Hiccup.

What she had hoped however, had been that their emotions would've been so much clearer. Still, when she noticed how Hiccup looked up as the Queen approached them, she felt some hope that Queen Elsa would be able to do what she seemed to be unable to, and that was being someone her son could open up to.

Watching them closely as Queen Elsa sat down next to Hiccup, Toothless once again laying down next to her, Valka could see the exact moment their eyes met for they both seemed to relax while a genuine warmth entered the Queen's eyes, one that she only seemed unable to hide when she looked at Hiccup.

"I just wanted to thank you for inviting me tonight, I know this was more a personal feast than anything else." She told them, Valka seeing how the darkness in Hiccup's eyes faded away at her words as he smiled at her. In a way, it made Valka sad to see that what she had been struggling so hard to achieve for over two years, this other woman was doing with just a look and a few words. But then again, love was a mysterious emotion and there was a deep connection between the two she had rarely ever seen, an understanding of the other that was the reason behind their silent communication.

"I could hardly leave my guests to starve could I?" Hiccup replied to the Queen and, seeing how the other woman's eyes filled with humor, Valka knew her presence was already forgotten.

"Well you are Vikings, for all I know this was just one big plot to kidnap me to get a big ransom." The Queen answered, her eyes glittering slightly.

"And how do you know it isn't?" Hiccup asked, Queen Elsa smiling warmly at him while Valka noticed how extremely different this smile was from many of her previous ones. It wasn't forced or polite, it was real and genuine.

"Because the groom is far too nervous for this to be an imaginary wedding. Besides I think I have Toothless on my side." The Queen replied and, hearing his name, Toothless looked up at her with a content expression, nudging the Queen on the arm before he put his head in her lap. "See, I told you." She added proudly, laughing for the first time that evening. The sound caused many dazed eyes to turn to her, only for all of them to turn away just as quickly when her captain glared at all of them.

The one who didn't appear dazed though was Hiccup, instead there was a deeper admiration in his gaze that was well hidden as he glared at his dragon.

"Traitor." Hiccup muttered to Toothless, Toothless dragon simply sending him a smug look in reply.

Looking at the couple, Valka felt quite astonished at how she could literally she both of them come out of their shells the more they spoke to each other. Hiccup's eyes, that had been gloomy and burdened for so long, was slowly filling with life and they seemed even more alive since they reflected the light from the fire as he gave Queen Elsa his full attention. It was like watching a small flame slowly grow into a fire.

The Queen on the other hand, became more and more relaxed and, while her eyes were still piercing, there was a softness and affection in them that made them glow with warmth instead of shining with cold. The warmth also seemed to slowly spread through her, her regal air still present but more approachable, like the walls around her slowly started to disappear.

However, this wasn't the only way they contrasted strongly to each other. While the Queen seemed to reflect the moonlight, her white blond hair and light dress glowing with its cold light, Hiccup, with his dark hair and darker cloths, seemed to blend into the night. Only the flames from the fire lit him up slightly while they almost seemed be repeld by the Queen. Also, when they spoke to each other, Queen Elsa sat straight with her hands resting in her lap while Hiccup gestured lightly with his hands and leaned forward at times to rest his arms against his legs.

But they were also similar. They were both tall and slim with eyes that, despite the way they seemed fully at ease, carried more weight than anyone their age should. The more time they spent with each other though, the more dark seemed to dissolve and, watching them, Valka started to see the young man she had met two years ago and a Queen who was nothing but a young woman underneath.

It was extremely fascinating to watch, but also touching, to start to see the woman underneath the hard façade that she had built up and Valka felt more and more certain why the dragons, and Toothless in particular, so easily accepted the Queen. Just like her son, Queen Elsa appeared to have an old soul and a strong heart. It was clear that she could withstand more burdens than most and that she, strangely enough, seemed to share Hiccup's powerful combination, having the heart of a leader and the soul of dragon.

"I think I will head back, it has been a long day and it's starting to take its toll." Queen Elsa suddenly said, bringing Valka back into the conversation while throwing a look at her captain only to see that he was in a deep conversation with Gobber and Fishlegs. "Looks like I will have to interrupt them." Queen Elsa sighed reluctantly, her words giving Valka an idea that would give Hiccup and the Queen some more time together.

After all, they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they needed to catch up.

"I see no reason for that, Hiccup can follow you back, right Hiccup?" Valka therefore asked quickly, sending her son a pointed look as he glared at her slightly before he turned back to the Queen who was trying not to smile at the exchange.

"Would Kai accept that?" Hiccup asked her, throwing an uncertain look at the captain.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, it's not my fault he is busy and that you are a gentleman who only wants to make sure I get back safely." The Queen answered casually. At her response Hiccup chuckled as he rose and offered her his hand that Queen Elsa, to Valka's slight surprise, took without a second thought. Sure the moment she stood next to him they both let go off each other immediately, but it was the normalcy of the action that spoke so much more than words.

"Thank you once again for inviting me, it was very nice talking to you Valka." Queen Elsa said polity to her, Valka smiling up at the pair who stood close to each other without even noticing.

"The same Queen Elsa, though I hope next time we'll have the chance to share more than a few words." Valka replied, her son once again sending her a small glare while the Queen's defenses suddenly fell and she blushed slightly.

"Of course." She answered, composing her features once again while Valka only smiled at them knowingly. At her expression, Hiccup rolled his eyes before he, probably without thinking about it, put his hand on the Queen's back to show her that they should leave and the two walked away from the rest of the group quietly, Hiccup's hand falling the moment they started moving.

Looking after them, and Toothless who followed after them like a silent shadow, Valka saw that no one else noticed their quiet departure except for the trio on the other side of the fire. Two of them smiled at the scene while the last, Kai, sent her an angry look across the flames, but he didn't try to go after them. Instead she could see the slight defeat in his eyes as he looked after them once again to see them disappear in the darkness, all watchers knowing that both Hiccup and Queen Elsa had already fallen over edge.

* * *

The frost lay heavy over the ground as Elsa and Hiccup walked slowly through Berk, a comfortable silence between them as they simply enjoyed being in each others company. Around them they heard the sound of laughter coming from the different directions where fires were burning and where Vikings had gathered for the night, though most them had already gone to sleep.

"Your mother seems to be a very insightful woman." Elsa said, breaking the silence, a small frown appearing on Hiccup's face.

"A bit too insightful for her own good even. But at the same time she was the one who made sure Ingrid got her wish to see a Queen fulfilled so I'm happy she that she is and that stood her ground." He replied, looking ahead as Elsa wished she could see his eyes.

"You mean that it wasn't an idea that came from the Chief himself?" She asked carefully, dreading the answer a little as she looked down at the frozen ground. Hiccup had seemed happy she that was here, but now she once again felt very insecure. He had, after all, not said anything about her arrival at all even though he had had the chance all night.

"Unfortunately no, but the Chief is known for being an absolute stubborn fool at times. He is just happy that this mother and the Snow Queen has more sense than him." Hiccup answered her with slight humor and when she looked up at him, she saw for the first time since she had arrived that there was nothing hidden in his eyes. He was looking at her with affection, but also insecurity that made her realize that he was still as uncertain as she had been until a second ago. Strangely enough, this knowledge calmed her down as relief flooded through her and her own walls fell away as well.

Smiling at him, she felt her heart speed up when he smiled back at her and she had to look away for a second as the warmth she had missed so much spread through her like wildfire.

"I wouldn't say she has much more sense to be honest, she needed quite the reprimand from her old housekeeper before she changed her mind." Elsa replied, feeling how her skin started to burn from his mere presence as they both walked closer together, their arms almost touching. It sure was strange how much emotion a mere presence could awaken.

"At least she did change her mind, Vikings are impossible to when it comes to try and make them do anything." Hiccup told her with a grin, Elsa laughing as she realized how much she had missed the way he so easily could make her feel so light and happy.

"Right, because that time Mrs. Tomson banned you from the castle because she needed the maids to clean the third floor and she knew they wouldn't be able work if you and I was in my study was not her forcing you to do something." She replied.

"That was a banning, it's completely different from forcing someone to do anything. Besides, I didn't really complain." Hiccup chuckled, both remembering that he even been very grateful for the escape.

"Fine then Chief of Stubbornness, maybe you weren't forced, but not even you can deny that both Anna and Rapunzel forced you to dance with them on a couple of occasions. Not to mention that time Eugene paired you up Miss. Hernysson." Elsa said, laughing at Hiccup's horrified expression.

"Don't remind me, that was cruel even for Eugene. I have been scarred for life and will never dance again." He answered, shuddering as he remembered the young woman who had not let go of him for a whole night.

"Not even with a slightly less intimidating partner?" Elsa asked with humor, though she felt a small knot of hope inside that he would say yes, their first, and only real dance, in the royal gardens suddenly swirling in her mind.

"Only if she asked me first." Hiccup told her with a light smile, but at the look in his eyes she got the feeling he was remembering the same moment, and she had to look away as her heart flew like a bird's wings. How could so much have changed from that one dance, when they had been so close to each other without evoking any strong emotions, to that he with a simple glance could affect her so?

Looking away from him, her eyes landed on the strange large pillars of teal ice she had seen on many places around the Village and, curious about what they could be, Elsa left the trail and walked up to one of them as she started inspecting it closely.

"I was curios about these before, it is not ordinary ice." She said thoughtfully, turning to Hiccup only to see that the light in his eyes had died away once more and that the dark troubled expression she had seen earlier was back.

"It's because it was created by an ice spitting enormous dragon we call the Bewilderbeast." He answered her, his voice suddenly hard.

"Did it attack Berk?" Elsa asked, even though she pretty much could figure out what the answer would be. At her question, a pained expression entered Hiccup's eyes that made her heart go out to him.

"In a way." He replied shortly and sadly, looking away from her and out over the ocean. For a moment, Elsa wondered if she should ask what had happened, but there was something in Hiccup's expression that held her back.

She had both seen and felt this darkness in him before. It hadn't been often, but at times when they had entered into conversations about Berk back in Arendelle Hiccup had drawn away from her. Each time, she had wondered if she should ask what troubled him, she had wanted to, but the feeling that he had never been ready to tell her had held her back.

So she had never asked him, hoping that one day he would open up to her. Seeing his reaction now though, she could see that it was much stronger than ever before. It made her realize that whatever he was hiding, he would have to share with her before they could even consider being together. She would have to know that he wasn't hiding something that could possibly endanger her people, but, seeing his distressed expression, she decided to give him a little more time to tell her on his own. After all she was here to discover if something really could blossom between them or not, if it didn't she wouldn't have to know.

Therefore she turned her attention back to the ice that still intrigued her. It was impossible to see through, completely opposite of her own ice that was crystal clear, and it didn't seem as solid. Curious about how it would feel, Elsa reached forward to touch it unaware that Hiccup was watching her closely.

Seeing her reach out towards the ice, Hiccup suddenly felt a rush of panic go through him as dark memories flashed before his eyes. He saw the Bewilderbeast take control over Toothless, his fathers dead body and the ice that had rushed towards him and Toothless with the purpose of killing them.

At the memories, he suddenly felt a strong conviction that if Elsa touched the ice, it would somehow hurt her. She was pure from all death, and the fear that she would somehow be cursed, caused him to reach out and take a hold of her hand as he turned her away from the ice and towards him instead. At his sudden action, Elsa jumped a little and her wide eyes turned questioning when she looked at him, but she didn't look scared.

"Please don't." Hiccup told her, hearing how pleading and pained his voice sounded but he didn't care. She couldn't touch the ice, nothing but hurt had come from it and everything that was connected to it.

"Why not?" Elsa asked him, her face calm and wondering, but also full of affection as she, to his surprise, didn't draw back. Instead she intervened her fingers with his and, looking into her ice-blue eyes, Hiccup for the first time ever didn't see a person who demanded an answer. Sure her eyes were searching, and he could see that she wanted to know, but other than that they were simply calm and full of warmth.

Seeing her clam somehow made his fear settle within and he took a step closer to her as he reached out and stroked her cheek, his beating heart calming even more when she simply smiled and leaned into his touch.

"What if there is magic in the ice that will clash with yours, I cannot see you get hurt. It…" He finally whispered to her, hating himself for the fact he didn't know what to say, that he couldn't tell her about his dad. He should have told her before, he had tried, but just like now, the words had refused to come out and just like before, Hiccup also see that Elsa knew he was holding something back. To his relief though, she once again seemed to sense that he wasn't ready and he felt his affection for her only grow as she let it go.

And of course he wasn't ready, for how could he tell her he was a killer and possibly lose her again when he had just gotten her back? The thought was unbearable.

"I don't think the ice can hurt me Hiccup. You told me that dragons' powers aren't fueled by magic, so I don't think it has fueled this dragon's power either." Elsa replied with a expression that told him she wasn't going to back down on this and Hiccup suddenly regretted having told her about how different dragons fueled their powers.

"Still you don't know that." He answered pleadingly, wanting to drag her away from this place, his fear that Drago would hurt yet another person he cared for deeply much stronger than his rational side that told him Elsa was probably right.

"And neither do you." Elsa only said with a small smile, as if reading his thoughts, and giving his hand a small squeeze she then placed her free hand on the ice. For a moment Hiccup held his breath, his heart beating wildly, but nothing happened and after a little while Elsa took her hand off the ice with only a thoughtful expression.

Still, Hiccup felt the relief flood through him the second the moment was over and he thank the Gods nothing had happened.

"There is some kind of element to the ice that makes sure it won't melt, but other than that, it's just ice, nothing more nothing less." She told him, still studying the ice curiously, unaware of his inner turmoil.

"Do you know what that element might be?" Hiccup asked her, pulling lightly at her hand as he felt even more relief at the fact that she didn't argue and that they started walking away from the ice. Feeling a need to keep her close, Hiccup didn't let go of her hand though, instead he pulled her close so they walked right next to each other.

"I have no idea, I would have to meet the dragon who made it and study it." She answered with a thoughtful expression while Hiccup felt how the familiar tingles her presence sent through him finally made him relax once more.

"There are no dragons left of that species that I know of, we encountered the last one dead a little more than a year ago." Hiccup told her, Elsa looking up at him and squeezed his hand lightly when she noticed that his expression turned slightly darker again.

"That's too bad." She told him. "You know, Grandpabi wanted me to say hello." She added trying to lighten up the mood and, when Hiccup shook his head with a smile, she knew she had succeeded.

"At least you can get something out of him, the rest of us are always left to wonder." He told her.

"Don't be silly, he just wants everyone to figure things out on their own." She answered, Hiccup sending her a skeptical look. "He does!" Elsa laughed. "I think the only reason you think differently is because you still haven't fully forgiven the trolls for getting the upper hand when they stole your leg."

"I've said they caught me off guard, besides it wasn't Grandpabi who stole it." He chuckled, his eyes shining as they stopped outside her door and he looked down at her with slightly nervous eyes. "I suppose this means we'll have to say goodnight then, Queen Elsa."

"I think so, Chief Haddock." Elsa answered, feeling a bit disappointed when he simply let go of her hand and gave her a tiny bow. Still, not wanting to show her disappointment, she smiled at him and gave Toothless a hug goodnight before she turned and opened the door. Just as she was about to enter though, she took a deep breath and turned around, seeing that Hiccup looked at her with slight surprise.

"I just wanted to say…" She began, feeling very nervous suddenly under his intense gaze. "I just wanted to say that if you ever need to talk about anything, I will always listen and… well… thank you for following me home. Also I want you to know that… that I've missed you and I'm glad I decided to come." With those words she then took a step forward, gathered her courage, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she hastily walked inside and closed the door behind her.

Staring after her for a moment, Hiccup let out a deep breath when her words finally registered in his dazed mind and he was unable to stop the huge smile that spread over his face as he stared up into the sky. She had missed him and she was happy that she had chosen to come! His fears had been for nothing, she still felt something for him!

The happiness that spread within was so powerful that he didn't even feel gloomy when he turned to walk up the hill and saw his father's statue looking out over Berk. Instead, Hiccup only heard her words repeating in his mind while he could still feel her cold lips against his cheek.

He would tell her about his father, he thought as he looked at his father's statue. Seeing it now he suddenly wondered what his dad would've thought about Elsa, would he have liked her? Hiccup thought he would've actually.

But, despite the fact Elsa still felt something for him and that she had missed him, Hiccup knew he couldn't allow himself to hope for too much. There was still the problem of them being leaders of different countries and, of course, that he hadn't told her the whole truth about his past. However, he now, more than ever, felt that if anyone could ever understand his burden, it was her and if he could ever find a solution to their problem, it would be with her.

It had, somehow, become only her.

Feeling a nudge in the side, Hiccup realized he had stopped and was standing still on the trail with a goofy smile on his face. Looking down at Toothless, who gave him a smug look, Hiccup, for once, only laughed.

"Are you jealous?" He asked his dragon who simply rolled his eyes and smacked a little with his mouth. "You got a hug bud, I didn't get that." Hiccup answered, Toothless sending him a tired look before hitting Hiccup in the head with his tail, clearly telling his rider that he wouldn't have gotten a kiss either if not Elsa had initiated it. "I don't want to push her." Hiccup answered irritated, knowing that he had wanted to kiss her, but it hadn't felt right because of Astrid and because he was still hiding a part of himself from her.

As a response, Toothless rolled his eyes and turned back towards the house that Elsa was staying in and began walking towards it. Hiccup didn't doubt at all that his dragon was about to wake her up to do cause trouble, so he threw his arms around Toothless' neck to stop him.

"If I ask her to come see the babies with us and Fishlegs tomorrow will you drop this?" Hiccup asked him, Toothless just glaring at him in response to tell him he had to offer something better. "Fine! I'll see if I can make sure it's just the three of us. Though Sharpshoot will most likely join." Hiccup said tiredly.

Toothless considered this for a moment before he looked a little pleased and, easily breaking free from Hiccup's hold, began walking up towards their own home once again.

"Stupid meddling lizard." Hiccup muttered after him, wondering why everyone was suddenly so set on interfering with his personal life. First his mother, then Gobber and now Toothless. The only thing missing was that Fishlegs started interfering as well.

* * *

"They sure are different people these Vikings, so much less refined then the people at home. Really I feel a bit like an outsider. I was so glad to be escorted by Kai and Robert this morning when I went to get your majesty's breakfast or I don't know if I would've dared to enter the Great Hall this morning."

Hearing Brigitte wait for a response, Elsa only hummed a little, but it was enough for the older woman to keep on talking while she continued braiding Elsa's hair. In truth Elsa was far away in her thoughts, thinking about the night before. She had barely slept all night since her thoughts and emotions had kept her awake, constantly reminding her about Hiccup's warm presence and that he had missed her as well.

A knock on the door downstairs caused Brigitte to stop braiding her hair as she frowned slightly while it brought Elsa out of her thoughts.

"Who on earth comes here this early in the morning?" Brigitte asked out load before telling Elsa she would soon be back. The moment her lady's maid left the room however, Elsa quickly finished the braid herself and threw on a cloak over her pale blue dress before she rushed down the stairs to the lower floor of the house, hoping that it was Hiccup who had come to call on her.

"I'll tell her that you're here, Chief Haddock." Elsa heard Brigitte say when she reached the bottom floor and looking towards the doorway, Elsa saw that it indeed was Hiccup who was standing in front of Brigitte. Feeling her heart beat a little faster Elsa composed herself, hiding her excitement, as she walked up to them.

"That won't be needed Brigitte, but thank you." Elsa told her lady's maid when she reached them, Brigitte looking a little surprised to see her down so quickly but she said nothing about it. Only giving Hiccup a curios look, Brigitte nodded her head to Elsa before she walked back upstairs to continue her work.

"So, what brings the Chief himself here so early in the morning?" Elsa asked Hiccup when Brigitte had disappeared from hearing-distance, Hiccup giving her a pointed look.

"If you're going back to using my title I must warn you that I'll send someone else to show you around the Village for I'll tire of hearing it." He answered, Elsa smiling at him.

"The horror, I will just have to do as you say then Chief Haddock." She replied, Hiccup glaring slightly at her as she chuckled. "I just have to see if Kai wants to come with…" Elsa began, but she was interrupted when Toothless, who had been standing next to Hiccup, leaned forward and grabbed a hold of the hem of her dress, looking up at her with huge eyes as he pulled at it slightly.

"Toothless wants to show you the dragon's nest as well, it can be good to know since I don't think Kai will appreciate that part of the tour very much." Hiccup explained to her and Elsa sent him a long look, wondering if she would call on her captain anyway. However, Kai was afraid of dragons and, to be honest, she didn't really want him to come with them so he could constantly keep an eye on them.

"I don't think so either, it would only bring him distress which is very unnecessary." Elsa therefore answered, making her decision as she quickly snuck out the door and followed Hiccup and Toothless into the village, Toothless walking strategically between them.

While Hiccup showed her around Berk, they fell into their usual easy conversation as he told her about the Village and its history while showing her everything from the arena to the blacksmith where they met Gobber who was completing the last of Snotlout's new axe. Walking around Berk though, Elsa couldn't help to notice how extremely different it was from Arendelle.

The houses were all built out of wood and, while they at first glance looked simple, they were all decorated with runes and small sculptures of dragons that should keep evil forces away. It was also clear that life here was simpler for, even though the wedding was about to start in only a few hours, children were running around freely while a couple of mothers helped each other to keep an eye on them. As they walked around, the Vikings they met were never afraid to approach them. Often they greeted Hiccup by name while he did the same, and there was a familiarity between them that she didn't have with her own people.

In a way it made her sad, but Elsa also knew that Arendelle's since population was so much larger it would be impossible for her to rule her land much differently than she already did.

But, while the Vikings were relaxed around Hiccup, it was very clear she made them very nervous. The Vikings all greeted her when they approached them, but while some of them shook her hand, others bowed to her many times while they stammered out a greeting. Hiccup however handled it all very well, watching their first attempts with humor before he broke in with a joke or a pat on the back that eased the tension and caused his people to relax.

Watching him interact with his them, Elsa got confirmed that he, just like her, was a master at adapting to his environment. In Arendelle he had been the one who had blended in with her people the best, but, seeing him now, it was clear this was where he mostly belonged, for, even if she could see that he wasn't the epitome of the classical Viking, this was his people.

For in each man, or woman, who came up and talked to them, Elsa could clearly see the deep respect and loyalty they felt towards their Chief. They trusted him and she felt that he was even more of a leader than had ever been to her own people. The Vikings had chosen him, that was very clear, but it also made her wonder if they therefore could ever accept another by his side? Especially if she was not from this world and would refuse to give up her life elsewhere?

Having met the Berkians, Elsa no longer held any doubt that Hiccup could fit into, and rule, both of their worlds. What she had started to doubt though was if she could do the same when she so clearly made the Vikings uncomfortable?

She was so lost in her thoughts that she only came back to reality when Toothless suddenly left his place between them and flew up into the air, leaving her and Hiccup alone just as they left the Village and headed into the forest.

"He is just going ahead of us." Hiccup told her when she sent him a questioning look, Elsa nodding in response as she realized this was the first time they had been fully alone since she had arrived at Berk.

"So what does this dragon nest look like?" Elsa asked, not wanting to think too much about the fact that she wanted Hiccup to reach out and touch her.

"If I told you it would ruin the surprise." He only answered with a smile, which caused Elsa huff.

"I don't like surprises very much as you know." Elsa told him, but when he only stayed silent she sighed, knowing he would never tell her. "Fine, if you won't answer then perhaps you can at least tell me why everyone back in the Village was staring at me as if they have never seen a human before?" She asked.

At her words Hiccup suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable, looking away from her for a moment as he seemed to ponder on how he should answer.

"It might be so that Fishlegs have told them everything about you, including everything about your power. Before you arrived however, no one really believed him much since he as a tendency to exaggerate. After seeing you yesterday though, they do believe him and they kind of think you have been touched by the Gods." He told her, looking even more uncomfortable when Elsa only stared at him, feeling extremely confused.

"What?" She managed to get out, Hiccup's expression turning slightly apologetic expression.

"They think you were blessed at birth by the Gods and that you, your power and your beauty, is a gift from them to this realm." He clarified, Elsa trying to process what he had just told her. Her power had been seen as a curse her whole life, not a blessing, and even though she had come to accept it fully now, it was strange to think anyone saw the whole of _her_ a gift.

"That's… something." She finally said, not really what else to say. However a feeling of dreed suddenly filled her when a new thought entered her mind. "And what do you think? Do you believe the same?" Elsa asked Hiccup, feeling how her fear that his acceptance for her power would come from the same belief as his people was taking root within. What if all of his feelings for her in reality come from the thought that she was not human at all, but a something created by his Gods?

At the mere thought, Elsa felt how her heart began to ache with pain and she felt the panic rise within. The feelings soon died down though when Hiccup, who had seen the distress and fear in her eyes, placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him so they stood still and he could look into her eyes.

"The thought had never entered my mind before it was spoken last night. I don't know where your power comes from and I don't care. Your power is a part of you, it makes you the person you are, and that's all I need to know." He answered, nothing but honesty in his eyes and looking into them Elsa felt the last of her fear die away as she was filled with warmth instead. "As for your beauty…" He continued, trailing off as his eyes took in her face with adoring eyes, causing Elsa's breath to catch in her throat. "It's like nothing I've seen before." He ended, offering his hand to her.

Without any hesitation, she gladly accepted it, his warmth closing around her. As they kept on walking in silence, Elsa knew that her cheeks were no longer only red from the cold and that the warmth within came from the feelings she felt for the man next to her.

Just walking next to each other, connected by a very innocent act, they both felt a sense of belonging that fill them. But then the woods started to open and they had to let go of each other. The feeling, however, lingering.

At least it did until Elsa saw what lay before them.

"Dear God." She whispered and she heard Hiccup chuckle at her stunned face, but she didn't care as she took in what lay before her.

They had reached the foot of the mountain and into the mountainside huge caves had been carved out. This however wasn't what caused her reaction, it was the huge amount of dragons in various colors, races and sizes that flooded the place. She had never in her wildest imagination thought she would see so many dragons in one place, or so many at all for that matter.

"This nest is smaller than that of the last Alpha, but it's still fairly large." Hiccup told her as Toothless came over to them with a proud look on his face.

"Fairly large?" Elsa asked with disbelief, looking up at Hiccup who smiled at her while a deep chuckle was heard from behind her. Turning around, Elsa saw a huge Viking who looked down at her kindly but nervously as he didn't meet her eyes.

"Queen." He greeted her with a nod before he turned to Hiccup. "Chief, I know you're busy, but if we could just be allowed to ask you a few things?" He asked, Hiccup nodding to him as the man gave her one last look before he turned to walk back to the few houses that stood near the edge of the forest.

"We have a few people who live out here to keep an eye on everything. I will have to see what they want, but I won't be long. Just stay with Toothless, as long as you're with him there is nothing to worry about. He has something he wants to show you as well." Hiccup told her, Elsa seeing that he had already entered his role as Chief, before he walked after the Viking.

Looking after him, Elsa then turned to Toothless who was looking at her with excitement.

"If you leave me for a second I'll never forgive you." Elsa told him and as a response Toothless only gave her look that clearly told her to stop being silly before he walked towards the cave. Not wanting to be left alone, Elsa followed him quickly as she felt nervous that she would meet wild dragons that had never been trained by, or lived with, humans.

But as they walked among the dragons, they only looked up to give her a short glance before they lost all interest in her and turned back to do what they did before. Feeling herself relax slightly, Elsa felt herself become curios about what Toothless could possibly want to show her and it wasn't until they reached the opening to one caves she found out what is was.

Staring mesmerized at the scene in front of her, Elsa took in the sight of countless tiny baby dragons of different colors and species. Looking at them frozen, Toothless finally nudged her carefully in the side and gestured with his head that she could approach them.

"Are you sure?" She asked him, feeling a little worried that their mothers would become angry. At her question though, Toothless only rolled his eyes before growling slightly which caused the baby dragons to look up at them with huge, curios eyes. For a moment they all only stared at her before a small baby Gronckle took the first step and, carefully, walked over to her since his wings were still unable to carry him.

Sitting down on the ground as he approached, Elsa reached out her hand to him and she smiled when the baby sniffed at it carefully before he jumped up into her lap. Seeing that she wasn't dangerous, Elsa was soon surrounded by a small army of baby dragons who were all trying to get her attention.

Laughing at them, Elsa recalled how Hiccup had told her that dragons were easily distracted by everything that glowed and, so she wouldn't drown in tiny dragons, she allowed a glittering snowflake to appear in the air. Seeing it, the baby dragons all stared at it in wonder before they started chasing it around. Laughing at their antics Elsa had soon conjured up about a dozen snowflakes that she moved through the air.

She had so much fun with the baby dragons that she lost track off time, she didn't even notice how their mothers looked at her with gratitude for freeing them of the tiny dragons for a moment. But when small baby Gronckle, the one that had first approached her, misjudged the distance at a jump and fell pretty badly to the ground, Elsa forgot all about the game as she reached out and picked it up so she could make sure it was alright.

"They're built to handle much more than a tiny fall." She was a little startled at hearing Hiccup's voice close behind her and when she turned around she could see that he was standing behind her, looking down at her with amusement.

"But he landed pretty badly and he is so small." Elsa replied with worry, Hiccup smiling at her as he sat down next to her, the small Gronckle in her lap already seemingly unfazed by his fall as he looked at them with curios eyes.

"First of all he is a she." Hiccup told her. "And if you want to check for injuries you can't be so careful, dragons are though creatures even when they're only babies." He said.

"But what if I hurt her?" Elsa answered, Hiccup sending her a pointed look before he did something that made her go rigid. He moved closer to her so he could reach around her and place his hands over her own.

"You won't, now just do as I show you." He said before he guided her hands and told her what they were doing as they checked the small dragon in her lap for any injuries.

At his close contact, Elsa felt how she could barely breathe and even less focus on what he was saying. Her mind was a racing while all she was aware of was his warmth around her and the way his warm breath tickled her cheek. When he finally drew back, Elsa could feel how her cheeks were embarrassingly red while all she wanted was that the shouting voice inside her, that was already missing the warm cocoon Hiccup had created around her, would shut up.

"So, are you feeling certain she is okay now?" Hiccup asked her kindly, but when Elsa looked at him she could see a slightly smug look in his eyes face as he took in her flushed state. Staring at him, Elsa felt how a mix of excitement and irritation spread within as she realized Hiccup had known exactly how she would react to him. He had done it on purpose! Strangely enough, Elsa felt the embarrassment die away as she felt the need for some sort of revenge.

"I do." Elsa therefore replied in a low voice, letting the small Gronckle go as she smiled warmly at him and leaned over so she so close to him their noses almost touched. "You know; I really want to thank the one who came up with the idea of showing me this." She said, seeing how he looked at her with slightly confused eyes. Giving him one last smile, she then turned to Toothless and gave him a kiss on the muzzle before she rose.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I think I have to return so I will be ready in time for the wedding." Elsa said, doing her best not to laugh at Hiccup's stunned expression, a feeling of power spreading through her as she turned to walk away before looking back at him. "And thank you for the tour Hiccup." She added, walking away with a smile on her face.

Staring after her, Hiccup turned to Toothless with a glare when his dragon sent him a smug look.

"Shut up." Hiccup muttered, Toothless only chuckling when his rider sighed deeply and lay down on the ground to stare up at the sky with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **Fluff, flitring and swirling emotions! I think that means some less favorable emotions need to enter now, don't you agree?**

 **Until next time my dear readers!**  
 **/Lysistrate**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is the longest chapter I have written for this story, the reason being it would have been one of the shortest if I had cut it in the middle and I would have left you all** **hanging with a very evil cliffhanger haha! Not saying that there isn't one anyway ;)**

 **Guest:** Here is more! And I will try to keep the posts more frequent now until the story is finished!

 **Akashi:** Ohh thank you, thank you so much for your review! It makes me so happy that you like the story and I feel so extremely glad you think it's the best one you've read! It really makes an authors day, trust me! Aslo I'm glad you think I have managed to stay true to the characters, I wanted them to develop but still be rooted in the movies. Now a new chapter that I hope you'll like it!

 **Guest 2 (chapter 1):** Thank you for your review, it makes me so happy to hear you are enjoying the story! Yes, it is hard to say how she will react, especially when Hiccup himself thinks he killed his father. As for the dragon racing, that will most defiantly be a part of the festivities around the wedding and Hiccup has shown her the flight suit, but it's not in any of the chapters, that is just one of those moments that exists in the authors mind but didn't make it into the story. But I can tell you she both loved it and gave him quite a hard time when he showed it to her ;)

 **Laidyx:** Haha I'm happy you enjoyed the last chap and I can understand your fear, but I promise that while this chapter holds anger I will not leave you hanging to much ;) And Toothless is adorable indeed, just like Valka is so much better reading her son than he knows haha!

 **Noctus Fury:** Hiccup's past will be coming up soon and I can't reveal anything even if I want to! But I can say that Elsa is quite a lot in the dark, so he will have to tell her something! Haha no I think Elsa is starting to have an addiction, maybe I'll have to send her up into a mountain on rehab before this story is over hahaha ;)

Ahh Brigitte, but you know not everyone are attracted to the same type of people and I do think that's a reason Elsa indeed did pick her, even if she hardly has nay reason to worry just like you said. As when it comes to Brigitte and Eret, their story is still very much developing, we'll have to see where they want me to take them! When it comes to the rest of the couples, Heather will not be a part of this story and Fishlegs and Ruff both have their sights set on one person each though the characters just won't be part of this story. They haven't even met these two people yet, they have only done it in my head haha.

Yes, bodyguards! You are correct that a Chief did have guards but I have chosen to keep the story closer to the Viking society created in HTTYD where they aren't needed, at least not on Berk, but since Toothless and Hiccup are mostly together they do also protect each other.

Yes he is! A role that he is very proud of! ;)

* * *

18.

"So, did she like the tour?"

Hiccup looked up from his sketchbook to see his mother's curios expression. When he had come home after spending some more time with the wild dragons, he had just walked into his room without saying anything. Only a moment later though, he had appeared again with the sketchbook he hadn't touched willingly since his return from Arendelle.

"She said, but I think she enjoyed meeting the dragons more than anything." He replied with a smile, thinking about the challenging look she had sent him when she had leaned forward and again right before she had walked away.

"Good, so what are you working on?" Valka asked him, seeing how Hiccup first pushed the sketchbook away from her, but then he seemed to change his mind for he looked down at whatever he had been drawing with a hesitant expression.

"Just a sketch." He replied, before looking up at her. "You can look see it if you wish, I have to go and change anyway before the wedding." He said, rising from his seat as he left the book open on the table so that if she wished, she could see the picture he had been drawing.

The sight that would meet her was Elsa sitting on the frozen ground outside the cave in which the mothers lived, with a huge smile on her face and all the baby dragons running, or flying, around her hunting large snowflakes in the air.

When Hiccup had gone to reunite with her and seen the scene in real life, he had stopped to simply admire her since Elsa had looked like she never had belonged anywhere else. It was even clear that the wild dragons accepted her, for it was when they didn't care about someone you knew that person had been accepted.

He had watched her until the baby Gronckle had tumbled to the ground and Elsa had feared it had gotten hurt, which really was a very unnecessary worry since the little dragon was, well, a dragon.

But seeing Elsa's worried expression, Hiccup had known she would need more reassurance than just his words and, to be honest, he hadn't intended to get so close to her. But when he sat down next to her, he had seen an opportunity to test and see if he really did affect her like she affected him.

So when he had noticed how distracted she had become by his closeness, and how flushed she had been afterwards, he had felt a strange sense of satisfaction in knowing he caused something to shift in her as well. What he hadn't expected however, was the way she had turned the tables around. Her blush had died away and had been replaced with eyes that swirled with promise only for her to leave him in state similar to the one he had left her.

Hiccup had never thought of Elsa as a person who flirted with anyone, at least as anything but a joke, but then again she never did what he expected her to do and she never backed down from anything. Even when he thought he, for once, had the upper hand she had won it back and in that way they were equals in a game neither could win.

But he hoped that one day, they both would.

Putting a heavy coat over his shoulders Hiccup walked out of his room to see that his mother was waiting for him outside and when she smiled at him it was a deep happiness in her eyes he hadn't seen in a long time. Not since before his father's death actually.

"You are so handsome, I'm so proud of you." She said, giving him a hug that he, for the first time in a long time, returned fully. "She has a dragon's soul Hiccup, don't let her go." His mother whispered to him and, to his surprise, Hiccup immediately felt how true those words were.

"I know." He only replied, the two of them leaving to join the pre-feast at Ingrid's house, the sketchbook remaining on the table where it showed his emptions like the open book it was.

* * *

"So when I was walking through Berk earlier today, with Kai as an escort of course, one of these Vikings had the decency to throw a comment at me, can you believe it? Sure it was a flattering one but I still find it very bad mannered and I made it very clear to Kai that I didn't approve! No, not at all, I found it too be very much out of line even!"

Smiling, Elsa listened in silence, hearing how Brigitte did her best to sound offended, but Elsa could hear the excitement in her voice and that her maid in reality was very flattered.

"It's a good thing you had Kai with you then." Elsa only answered, her lady's maid laughing nervously.

"It sure was, we met Eret at one point as well. A fine man, just a few years younger than me, though he is a gentleman and he haven't asked of course, and when we parted he kissed my hand. It was a long time since any man showed me that kind of respect I shall tell you, rude they mostly are." Brigitte said with a dazed look until Elsa quietly cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry your majesty, just got lost in the deep thoughts." Brigitte answered, blushing slightly while Elsa held back a laugh, knowing very well that Brigitte probably had been thinking very enchanting thoughts indeed. "Now, that should be all, I must say that you are vision your majesty." Brigitte said with a smile, giving Elsa the handheld mirror they had brought with them from Arendelle. "Now I'll just go downstairs and make sure Kai is ready to leave." She added, leaving Elsa alone to look at her reflection.

Her hair was very similar to the way it had looked at her coronation and even though it was beautiful, Elsa felt it no longer fitted her as well as it once had. She was no longer that confined and scared person, she was free of the chains that had tied her down. Also, not a single person on Berk looked perfectly polished like she did now.

Reaching up, Elsa therefore let a few strands of hair fall down to frame her face before she waved her hand and made tiny ice-crystals from in her hair like tiny diamonds. She then took off her gloves and laid them on the bed. Creating a full length mirror of ice, she looked herself over. She knew she would stand out from the Vikings in her glittering ice-blue dress, but it didn't bother her much. She was proud of her culture, though she hadn't been sad to get rid of the corset.

Besides, it was not like the Vikings was going to judge her, if they really thought she was some kind of gift from their Gods they probably would have accepted her even if she wore a rag.

Feeling ready to go, she walked downstairs, Kai smiling at her when she came into view.

"You look lovey your majesty." He told her, offering her his arm which she took with a smile, Elsa not even bothering to put on a coat since she didn't need one.

"Trying to flatter me Kai?" She asked, her captain laughing in response.

"If I may be so bold my queen, I was simply stating the truth." He told her, looking at her with a fatherly expression that made her feel once again how lucky she was to have him in her life.

When they came outside and stirred their steps towards the Great Hall, huge snowflakes started to fall around them, Kai getting a sour expression on his face that caused Elsa to smile. Though he had never said it to her, she knew her captain hated the winter. A little ironic since he thought was the summer was too hot as well.

He was a strange man.

Entering the Great Hall, the warmth from all the people who had gathered and the burning torches hit them like a wall and, while Kai seemed happy to be out of the cold, Elsa almost immediately felt that she would have preferred not to enter at all since the warmth seemed to press around her.

"Queen Elsa!" A voice called out, and they could see Gobber making his way through the crowd towards them. When he got closer, Elsa noticed that he appeared to be much cleaner than he had been earlier in the day and, seeing his groomed state, Elsa wondered how Hiccup had forced the other man to take a bath, especially since Gobber had shared his hatred for water with her the night before.

"Queen Elsa, ye sure are a vision tonight." Gobber told her with a warm smile when he reached them.

"Thank you, Gobber. Everything looks lovely and cleaner." She told him, the older Viking laughing at her words.

"Don't remind me and ye're very kind. We know it's probably not like the parties in Arendelle, but it's good for us." He replied with a wink. "Now since Hiccup insisted on me being yer company for the evening till he arrive, let me show ye to yer seats." He told them, waving them along as he guided them through the crowd to one of the tables the back of the hall.

As it turned out, the job was suddenly very easy now when Elsa walked with him, all of the Vikings parting at the mere sight of her, whispering as she passed as they sent curios looks after her.

"I heard ye day was free from any accidents." Gobber said when they finally reached their table and he gave her a cup filled with mead.

"Shouldn't it have been?" Elsa asked him, wondering what had made him ask the question as he gave Kai a cup as well.

"It's always a risk visiting the dragon-nest, but then I suppose since the twins weren't with ye it was not much that could happen. They like to irritate the dragons as much as they can." Gobber explained to her, filling up his own cup.

"Why doesn't that surprise me at all?" Kai muttered drily, Elsa sending him an amused look while Gobber chuckled.

"I don't think it surprises anyone who've known them more than a few minutes, they kind of took over after Hiccup when he stooped causing accidents every other day. The twins thought the Village was getting too safe." Gobber answered, shaking his head with a smile.

"The Chief was a troublemaker?" Kai asked quickly, Elsa hiding her smile behind her cup at her captain's sudden interest. Of course he would try to find any way to put Hiccup in a less favorable light to her, after all the man wasn't blind and, even if he had never said anything to her, Elsa knew he had his suspicions.

However, Elsa had to admit herself that even if Hiccup had already told her about his troubled teenage years, she was curious to hear what kind of view his old mentor had.

"Oh no, not a troublemaker exactly, more like extremely accident-prone. Managed to burn down quite a lot of houses in his youth and caused a few people to brake a leg or two when he interrupted them during a dragon attack, but nothing of a major scale." Gobber shrugged, acting like it was nothing at all.

"Nothing of a major scale?" Kai repeated with a shocked expression.

"Nahh, the dragons were the ones causing most the damage, he kind of just added to it, but considering everything he has done for us since then, it's all been forgotten. Though it can be good to know that he can still be a bit clumsy at times." Gobber answered, winking at Elsa with smile on his face when he finished while she did her best to act completely neutral to his obvious hint.

Seeing the exchange though, Kai got a slightly irritated expression on his face and he was just about to say something when the doors to the Great Hall, thankfully, flew open with a bang.

"Newly wedded couple coming through folks!" Snotlout screamed loudly as he carried a laughing Ingrid through the doors and the sight all of the Vikings started cheering loudly while banging their cups on the tables as the couple made their way through the Great Hall to take their places at the honorary table. Behind them followed their respective families who joined young couple, while the rest of group, consisting the council and the Chief, spread out to the different tables.

"Looks like young Snotlout have calmed his nerves with some alcohol during the afternoon." Gobber grinned when Hiccup, Astrid, Valka and Eret reached them, all four smiling back at him.

"Let's just say we're a little unsure how he'll preform later this evening." Valka replied, her words causing the surrounding Vikings to laugh.

"The day the sword fails the man is always a day of greatest sorrow!" A Viking close to them shouted as a response, the Vikings laughing once again while Elsa and Kai just shared an uncomfortable look with each other since neither of knew how to act.

"Just smile and say nothing, joking on the behalf of the wedding couple is tradition." Looking to her right, Eret had appeared next to her and Elsa sent him a grateful smile as she felt herself relax a little. His kind eyes and different accent reminded her of home and she relaxed even more when he pulled out her chair before sitting down himself.

Across the table she could see that Hiccup sent Eret a slightly irritated look, but when Astrid, who had dragged him with her so they could sit next to each other, spoke with him he turned to her.

"So how was the feasts?" Elsa asked Eret, looking away from Hiccup as they all started to pick up the different kind of foods that was on the table and put on their plates.

"Lavish, but then again it's Snotlout we are talking about. If it had been anything else, I would've left a formal complaint." Eret answered her with a smile, only putting a tiny amount of food on his plate since he, just like everyone who had just entered the Great Hall, had already eaten.

It was part of the Viking tradition that the bride and groom ate a huge meal along with some of the elders, their families and other important people in the tribe. The feast started in the bride's home only for the party to move over to the groom's, the journey between the two houses representing the journey the bride made from her old home into her new one.

"And I suppose Astrid is happy to finally be free?" Elsa asked with a smile, Eret laughing at her words, his laugh causing Hiccup to throw a look at them over the table that they both missed.

"I don't think I've seen anyone happier to be free from her duty to prepare the bride for her wedding in my entire life and, if I'm not wrong, she has called the tradition stupid more than thirty times already this evening." Eret answered with a grin that made her smile back at him.

Still, in a way, Elsa could understand Astrid's relief. After all, the other woman had spent the last twenty-four hours alone with only Ingrid and a few other women to prepare the bride for her new life as a married woman. It was another tradition the Vikings had and it could not be the most fun consider all nerves that existed before a wedding.

"So Brigitte choose not to join you this evening?" Eret asked her as Elsa looked at him curiously.

"No, I offered but she declined. She said she needed to catch up on some sleep." Elsa told him to which he laughed.

"I actually thought I had her convinced earlier today, but I'll just have to try harder it seems." Eret winked at her, Elsa wondering how serious he truly was behind his unfazed expression. It felt to personal to ask though, so instead she just wished him luck as they fell into easy conversation.

As the night kept on moving forward, Elsa found that she more and more Elsa liked the kind man next to her, for while could be quite cocky sometimes he always said it with a humor that told her he was only messing around.

She also couldn't help to wonder how much like outsiders Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs had felt at Anna's and Kristoff's wedding and during their first few weeks in Arendelle considering how stale her own kingdom was next to the feast in the Great Hall.

Here the drinks and the food flowed, people laughed loudly and ran between different tables to get another course of food or to simply talk with someone they saw through the crowd. It was a much and, in a way, much more joyous feast than the perfectly planned world she lived in. Also, the Vikings had no problem joking at each others expense causing the room to be constantly filled with shouts both from the one who was the center of a joke and the laughter of those who listened.

The hours seemed to fly by as Eret kept on keeping her company and help her to feel more and more at home with the burly Vikings. After some time, some of them stared to come up and talked to them, Eret having her back if one of them dropped a comment she didn't how to respond to.

Having him by her side also gave her the opportunity to stay in the background and take in the very different culture around her that, after she had gotten used to the strangeness of the situation, caused her to realize that she had never been more relaxed or laughed more in the presence of so many people since she there was no one who judged her every move as they did in Arendelle

As the hour stared to become late, many of the Vikings started to show signs of the huge amounts of alcohol many of them had consumed while Elsa herself had been very careful not to drink more than a few cups of mead so she wouldn't loose her head in a strange crowd.

She was talking with Eret about the different tribes when an enormous man, who had been about to stumble past her, when he lost his balance and was forced to take a hold of her chair to steady himself as his eyes, that had a hard time to focus, landed on Hiccup and Astrid was talking to Fishlegs across the table. Staring at them, he then muttered something neither Eret or Elsa could hear.

"You have to speak clearer if you want us to hear you old man." Eret told him, putting his hand on the Vikings back with a smile.

"I said it's a shame!" The man repeated loudly, his eyes still fixed across the table. "They make a damn fine coul-couple those two, thought they woll-would be the first to tie the knot. I still remember when Stoick- Stoick told me that the man who had come to tame our fierce Astrid was no other than Hiccup the useless." The man slurred, chuckling at his own words while Elsa looked over at Hiccup and Astrid over the table.

She had, for a long time even, suspected that Hiccup and Astrid had some kind of history, though she had always felt it was to private to ask Hiccup about it and he had never said anything either. But when she looked at them now, she noticed how Astrid put her arm on Hiccup's arm at times and how she looked at him with glowing eyes. While she couldn't see that Hiccup returned the obvious show of interest, Elsa still felt how her heart turned cold at the sight.

Looking at them, she replied the words the Viking had said to her. From the way he had spoken it had sounded like they were still a couple, but Hiccup would have told her if they were? Wouldn't he? Or had he not told her about Astrid because he still had feelings for her? Did he love her?

Elsa didn't want to believe that Hiccup would've lied to her. Just the mere thought of it felt wrong for it was not who he was, she knew it wasn't, but he would also have to tell her the truth since it was so obvious now that Astrid still felt something for him. Elsa would never agree to a man having another woman at the side, even though she knew it was common both in her own culture and in the Vikings.

As she looked at him, Hiccup suddenly looked over at her and even though she tried to hide her troubled expression, she could see it was useless as a frown and a slightly worried look entered his eyes. It was almost a little scary that he now knew her so well, but she also loved the fact that he did.

Sending him a small smile, she could see that her poor attempt at showing that nothing was wrong didn't work, for he rose from his seat. Just as he did this though, Snotlout's father also rose from his seat and banged his hammer into the honorary table three times as the whole Great Hall filled with an excited silence.

"My son has finally found his wife!" Spitelout shouted loudly, the guests cheering in respone. "Ingrid is a fine young woman and we're more than happy to welcome her into our family BUT no matter how much I wish to call her my daughter I'll be unable to do so until the lovebirds have fulfilled their vows! So while I want the feast to continue in here we should still allow our newlyweds to fulfill them, it's not fair to keep them waiting!" Spitelout shouted, his words being met with new loud cheers from all of the guests.

Elsa however felt confused as she heard how the word "Bedding" stared being shouted by the guests while some of them even rose from their seats and went to carry the couple out of the Great Hall. Across the table, Hiccup only had the time to send her a helpless look before he was whisked away by the cheering crowd.

At the sudden commotion, Elsa felt her mind race since she no idea what was going. She had never heard about the bedding even though Astrid had filled her in on everything that would happen at the wedding. For she had done that, hadn't she?

Looking after her, Elsa noticed that Astrid had suddenly moved down the table out of hearing distance and that she felt even more lost at the fact that Astrid seemed complete unfazed at what was happening, for it meant she had indeed known.

Turning to Eret, Elsa knew she had to look as confused as she felt for he was staring at her with a hesitant expression.

"What is going on?" Elsa shouted to him over the cheering crowd, feeling even more worried when he stared at her with huge eyes.

"Wait, Astrid didn't tell you?!" He shouted back as he felt the dreed spread within when Queen Elsa only shook her head.

Shit and bugger, Astrid hadn't told her. Why she had kept it from the Queen was a mystery to Eret, but he knew it was extremely stupid of her to do so. After all, the bedding was a controversial part in their society. One that many, who didn't even come from cultures that was as restricted as the Queens, had a huge problem with and found very disturbing.

"What didn't she tell me?" Elsa finally asked him when he only stared at her and Eret swallowed nervously as he wondered how he should respond.

"It's the bedding ceremony." He answered, hoping that he would see some recognition in her face, but when it remained confused he swore within. "It means that the bride and groom are allowed to consummate the marriage the first day of the wedding." He added, hoping that it would be enough for her.

But just as he had suspected she would, Queen Elsa recognized an evasive answer when she heard one.

"But why announce it? "Why were they carried out? And why did Hiccup and the elders leave?" She asked him, Eret hearing that it was a demanding tone to her voice that told him she wanted the truth. Taking a mental breath, he told himself to just get it over with.

"To make sure the marriage is valid, the first night requires the presence of some high-ranking and trusted members of our society." He said, thinking he had managed to keep it quite vague and, at first, he thought he had managed to get away as she simply stared at him.

But after only a few seconds, he could see that Elsa had put the pieces together as her expression turned into a mix of disgust and disbelief. At her expression, he knew had to explain more but before he even had the change to open his mouth, Elsa had already risen Elsa from her seat and was making her way through the crowd. By the time he stood up, she had somehow already made it through the crowded Great Hall and all he could do was stare after her with a feeling of dreed at what would now happen.

Elsa on the other had didn't send a second thought to the Viking that had kept her company all night, her only goal being to get outside of the warm Great Hall that had suddenly began to suffocate her. The moment she was out through the heavy doors, Elsa drew in a deep breath as the cold air filled her lungs and seemed to wash away the filthy heat while she fought the disgust that threatened to force her to throw up.

They had all cheered like mad men for the fact that a young girl on her weddingnight…

Feeling the nausea hit her again Elsa felt that she needed to put even more distance between herself and the Vikings, the mere sounds from the Great Hall like sending chills through her as it reminded her of the suffocating warmth.

So, walking quickly, Elsa headed in the direction of the ocean since it lay farthest away from the Great Hall. The snow was still falling around he while the one that had already fallen creaked underneath her feet for each step step she took. In the solitude she thought she would be able to think, but her mind only kept racing.

She simply couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Ingrid's first night with her husband wouldn't be just between the two of them. It wouldn't only consist of the huge fear and pressure every woman felt for her wedding night, but it would be accompanied with the horrifying knowledge that they would be watched by some perverted old men and women who didn't have any right to even be there at all.

For while the secrecy among her own people was a bit extreme in it's own way, it was nothing like this! This took extreme to another level, this was beyond any point of dignity, respect and acceptance that had ever existed! It was barbaric even for the private life between a man and a woman was something sacred! In a world where every single step a person took was watched and judged by someone else, what went on behind closed doors was a free haven. It was matter that only concerned the husband and the wife.

And knowing if a marriage had been consummated or not wasn't hard to figure out! If the it had been consummated, a baby would follow soon after the wedding. That anyone was allowed to exposed and violated in this way by an old council and the Chief was…

Elsa stopped walking as her sudden realization washed over her like ice cold water.

Eret had told her that high officials attended the wedding night and Hiccup had been dragged away just as the announcement had been made. Unlike Astrid he had actually left the Great Hall, not simply been moved to another spot, which could only mean…

Snotlout was his own cousin!

Suddenly feeling how the world started to close in around her, Elsa felt like she couldn't breath as she was fighting not to fall down into the black hole that wanted to drag her down. What kind of world had she come to? Why hadn't Hiccup told her? Why hadn't he told her about Astrid?

Why?

Why?!

Unable to stop the sob that escaped her, Elsa, for once, couldn't calm herself so she could think rationally. Instead Elsa felt how her emotions take over, emotions that was a raging storm of insecurity, disgust, fear, hurt and that damned warmth she felt each time she thought about the man who had thawed her heart. As they fell over her like a tidal wave, Elsa did the one thing she always did when her emotions threatened to overthrow her.

Allowing her feet to take her wherever they wanted, she started running as fast as she could, not even stopping as her feet started flying over the pitch black ocean, turning it into ice for each step she took so she wouldn't fall down into the deep.

She wanted nothing more than to get away from Berk, away from the people she could no longer understand and away from the man she now refused to admit that she loved.

* * *

Hiccup had never in his entire life more violated, or disgusted, as he did when he was walking back to the Great Hall along with the rest of the elders. Thankfully the walk back to the Great Hall was offering him an opportunity to breathe a little, the cold air easing his headache as the snow kept falling slowly to the ground that was already completely white.

But while he enjoyed the moment of peace, he also couldn't wait to get back to the Great Hall. Ever since he had left, his mind had been returning to Elsa's troubled and confused expression that he had seen right before he had been forced to leave. He didn't know what had caused it, but from the way she had looked at him he couldn't help to feel it had something to do with him.

Then just as the Great Hall came into view beating wings was suddenly heard above them as a black shadow fell down from it's roof and landed in front of him and the elders. With a small jump Toothless came up to Hiccup's side, his eyes clearly telling him that whatever his friend wanted, it was something of importance.

"You go ahead, if it was something that required more than just the two of us Toothless wouldn't have come alone." Hiccup told the elders who watched them. At his words, they nodded to him before they continued walking hastily towards the Greath Hall, probably happy they would soon escape the cold and rejoin the feast.

"Now what is it bud?" Hiccup asked Toothless, turning back to his dragon who pushed Hiccup in the direction of his back, gesturing with his head that he wanted Hiccup to jump on.

"Toothless, are you sure this can't wait until tomorrow?" Hiccup asked, thinking about the fact that Elsa was left alone with his unruly tribe and, to his biggest annoyance, Eret. But mostly, he wanted to find out she was okay.

But as a Toothless growled at him and hit Hiccup with his tail. Sighing at his friends overly dramatic tendencies, Hiccup still had to admit Toothless never was this persistent if it really wasn't a pressing matter.

So without any more arguments Hiccup jumped up on Toothless back, barely having the time to sit down before Toothless was already in the air and steering towards the ocean.

At the strange direction, Hiccup felt himself become a little wary. He had simply assumed that something at happened at the nest, but apparently Toothless had discovered something else entirely. Hiccup just hoped it wasn't a ghost from the past, but then again Toothless wouldn't have come alone if it was.

"Where are you taking me bud?" Hiccup quietly asked him, voicing his thoughts more than anything, as Toothless simply shook his head to tell Hiccup that he would see soon enough. In silence they glided over the black eerie water, the night dark since the moon was hidden behind the thick clouds that covered the sky and therefore couldn't offer it's light.

After a few minutes of flying though, Hiccup stared to notice that something was strange with the water beneath them. Trying to figure out what it was, Hiccup finally managed to see the it was small platforms of ice that was floating around in the water. Strange, Hiccup thought, for he had never seen water freeze that way.

Looking ahead to see if he could see find out if there was something in the horizon, he felt his eyes widen in disbelief.

"Wise Odin, what is that?" Hiccup whispered as he took in the golden round platform that floated like a torch in the black sea and as they got closer Hiccup could see that the platform was lit up from within, but a dark silhouette also started to take shape against the golden light.

A silhouette that could only be one person.

Elsa.

But what in the name of the Gods was she doing out here? What had caused her to leave, not only the party, but Berk as well? As his mind started to conjure up countless of different scenarios, Hiccup felt the fear rise within when he remembered the last time she had wanted this kind of solitude.

It had been when Mr. Beltham attacked her and at the mere thought that something similar might have happened now made his stomach turn into a painful knot as he prayed that was not the case.

But if it was, Hiccup would personally hunt down the person who had touched her.

Carefully, since the ice was slippery, Toothless landed on the platform behind Elsa who didn't acknowledge them in any way. Her behavior only made him even more worried about her, but when he took a step towards her he finally got a reaction.

"I thought it was obvious that I want to be alone." She said, her voice icy-cold without any trace of warmth anywhere, not even when she had spoken to him in her upset state after Mr. Beltham's attack had she sounded like this for at least then it had been emotion in her voice.

"Toothless brought me, I didn't even know you." Hiccup told her carefully but he got no reaction. "I'm worried about you too." He added, in fact he was more worried about her now than ever before and at his words he finally did get a reaction from her, though not one had expected.

Turning around so that her dress flew around her, Elsa glared at them with eyes that held nothing but anger, hurt and disgust. Seeing her look at him like that made him even more confused about what was going on, but it hurt him as well.

"Of course you didn't notice, you have been far to busy with the wedding couple and Astrid all night." She told him, her voice like a whip as Hiccup could see the storm that was raging behind her cool demeanor. It was the Snow Queen who stood before him and he knew that out here, he was at her mercy.

Yet he still found her extremely beautiful as she stood tall before him, but it was not what his mind lingered on for her words made it dawn on him what she had made her so upset.

"Astrid didn't tell you did she?" He asked her with disbelief, feeling how he tried to comprehend the fact that Astrid not only lied to him, but she had also betrayed his trust. He had trusted her. Despite being aware of Astrid's problem with his feelings for Elsa, he had still trusted her when she had offered to share everything about their traditions.

He had thought that, despite everything, she would still be able to see the bigger picture and put her feelings aside. But she hadn't, and while her betrayal cut deeply he couldn't linger on that now. He had to focus on the woman in front of him who was staring at him with stormy eyes.

"What didn't she tell me exactly?!" Elsa spat his question. "That you are all perverted wildings? Or maybe the fact that she has feelings for you? For she kind of left both of those parts out!" She shouted, Hiccup seeing the hurt behind the anger and he hated himself. Elsa had become a victim because he had been a coward and not told Astrid that they were over so the bedding had become the tool Astrid had decided to use to tear him and Elsa apart.

After all, Astrid had also spent a little more than a month in Arendelle and knew about their extremely prude culture. She had understood, just like Hiccup, why Elsa would have such a huge issue with it.

"I know it's not right." Hiccup said, walking over to her slowly to see if she would try to push him away, but thankfully Elsa allowed him to approach her. At each step he took though, the ice around them glowed a deeper and deeper until Elsa finally exploded.

"Not right?! Not right?! Hiccup it's sick!" She shouted at him, her eyes blazing. "Now I can accept that you are all more open about intimacy here, I might not be comfortable with it but I can accept it! But to watch… do you understand how wrong that is?! It's disgusting, violating, perverted and wrong! It… it's just… wrong." She finally trailed off, the air leaving her a little as the gold toned down again.

"Feel better?" Hiccup asked her softly, knowing that she had every right to be upset and how it was better to let the anger out then to keep it in.

"A little yeah." Elsa answered, feeling how her outlet of emotions had actually managed to calm her down slightly. "But why? Why do your people do this?" Elsa asked, needing him to tell her since she couldn't understand how things like this even existed.

"Tradition says that for the wedding to be valid it must be consummated. This is a way of making sure that it really happens and that the marriage truly is vailed." Hiccup told her, Elsa shaking her head.

"That's barbaric!" She exclaimed, not able buy that argument. People didn't have to watch the wedding night in Arendelle to know a relationship was consummated, people were trusted that it was.

"I said it isn't a tradition that is right, or do you claim that your people doesn't have any views or traditions that you find to be outdated? That looks insane to us?" Hiccup replied with a slight edge to his voice as he gave her a pointed look for, even if Elsa had the right to be upset, he was not going to allow her to throw his whole culture in the dirt because of one very questionable tradition.

Sure they had some more traditions that were different, but so did the Ardellians, and Elsa had no right to judge all of their culture without even trying to understand their point of view.

Thankfully Elsa immediately picked up on his new tone, just as he had known she would, and he could see how a slight blush spread over her cheeks as she looked away from him. From her behavior he knew she was aware of the fact that she was being unreasonable and, when she turned back to him, he could see that while she was still upset there was a calm within showing that she was ready to listen.

And she really was, for Elsa knew that Hiccup was right. When the Vikings first arrived to Arendelle they had been unable to understand the general view on women that existed in her country, the one that said all women were week and fragile creatures. It was something the Vikings had forced themselves to accept during their stay, but they had always been very clear on how upsetting and strange they had found the treatment of other sex.

She had even spoken to Hiccup about it on many occasions and each time Elsa had told him how much she loathed the fact that men generally assumed she was stupid simply because she was a woman, but also how much she wanted to change that view on all women in her kingdom. But it wasn't something that could happen over night, it took time.

The bedding, she realized, was in a way the same. While she couldn't understand or accept it, it was a part of this culture and she had no right judge before she had at least tried to understand.

"You said it takes place to make sure the wedding is valid, but there are other ways to prove that, so why this?" Elsa therefore asked him, happy to see that Hiccup was still looking at her with understanding eyes despite her outburst.

"Not all marriages are blessed with children and what really goes on behind closed doors is impossible to prove. There are ways to hide the fact that a wedding night didn't occur and since both men and women can seek divorce here, the bedding became a way to ensure that marriages from political alliances were truly valid. With time it grew, like most traditions does, and now it's the same for everyone." He told her calmly.

Hearing him explain it to her, Elsa couldn't deny that what Hiccup told her was true. Not all marriages were blessed with children and there were ways to stage a wedding night, in her upset state she had forgotten about that.

"I suppose, in a way, I can see why it's a tradition that has lived on." She finally said, feeling that even if she was still upset she could understand why the bedding was considered necessary.

"I'm happy you can see our side and I want you know I've been trying to change it, but so much has happened over the last few years that the elders are holding onto every bit of tradition they can." Hiccup told her, Elsa nodding at his words as she felt herself become embarrassed over her next question, but she needed to know.

"Are you… are you fine with it? With… you know… watching." She managed to get out, but she was not able to stop a small blush from spreading over her cheeks. She knew it was a silly question, but it was important for her and when she saw Hiccup's genuinely disgusted expression she felt the relief flood through her since it told her he genuinely found it to be as wrong as she did.

"Not in any way, it's extremely violating for me as well you know, and I would do a lot to forget all of it. Thankfully we never stay through the whole act, only long enough to be certain it'll happen." Hiccup answered her, Elsa feeling how her whole face covered with a very fierce blush as the embarrassment flooded through her at his words.

Seeing her reaction, Hiccup's eyes widened as he seemed to realize what he had just said. "Uhm… I didn't… I just…" He managed to get out, drawing his hand through his hair as he laughed embarrassedly, him blushing as well for once.

"No it's… I mean I asked and… it's good to know it's just… I mean it-it makes it a little better." Elsa managed to stammer out, her blush deepening even more when he looked at her and she had to look away from him since she suddenly became extremely aware of the fact that they were standing close to each other.

The tension between them was almost painful as an awkward silence stretched out between them, neither one of them really knew what to say or what to do to break it.

Seeing the pair standing red in their faces next to each other like two younglings, Toothless rolled his eyes tiredly as he finally got enough off both of them. Walking up behind Hiccup, he pushed his head lightly into Hiccup's back to push them closer together. However, his rider was not ready for the sudden force, even if it was small, and he lost his balance on slippery ice when his metal leg disappeared under him.

"Toothless!" He exclaimed angrily from his knew position on the ground while Toothless only sent him a look that clearly told him it was his own fault he had fallen down.

And while his plan had not worked the way he hoped, Toothless had at least succeeded with breaking the tension between the pair as the ice-woman laughed at them both before offering her hand to Hiccup who accepted it without second thought.

"Looks like Toothless wants to go home." The ice-woman chuckled, Toothless mentally sighing at her intentional misinterpretation while he sent his rider pointed look that he had to stop being so modest. It was clear the Ice-woman liked him and that he liked her, despite their angry emotions earlier, what was the big deal?

And to his relief his rider, for once, seemed to come to his senses and take his advice, for when the ice-woman was about to let go of his partner's hand, his rider actually held on to her despite the hesitant expression she sent him.

"Elsa, I just want you to know that I told Astrid to tell you, it was never my intention to try and hide this from you." Hiccup told her, and while the mention of Astrid made a heavy gloom appear around them, Elsa knew he was telling the truth. In fact, she had never truly believed that Hiccup had wanted to hide the bedding from her.

Allowing her emotions to continue guiding her, Elsa let go off his hand and put her arms around him. His response to her embrace was immediate as his warm arms closed around her as well, pulling her closer to him.

Drawing a deep breath, Elsa felt herself fully relax for the first time that night. It felt so extremely right to be back in his arms, to breath in his scent and allow his warmth to cradle her. She never wanted him to let go, she wanted to be lost in the happiness of simply being with him and feeling his presence. But she couldn't deny the fact that they still had something to talk about, something they needed to clear up.

"You and Astrid..." She began slowly, feeling how Hiccup turned his head so he could smell her hair as he hummed in response when she trailed off. The sound created a small rumble in his chest that made her smile despite the heavy feelings that poisoned the moment. "Are you still in love with her?" She asked, Hiccup's warm breath disappearing when he drew back so he could look down at her.

"I'm not." He told her, his green eyes honest as they reflected the light of the ice that now glowed a deep blue underneath them.

"But you were once? You two were a couple?" Elsa asked, feeling her heart drop when she saw the slightly troubled look in his eyes.

"There was a time when I was in love with her and we were a couple, but for more than two years we have been nothing but friends. There was also a time when we thought we would get back together, but the Gods wanted differently and has stirred us on different paths. I know I'll never love Astrid like that again and I know we'll never get back together. Astrid just haven't reached that point yet; I don't think she wants to let go." He told her.

"Why?"

"I think she is afraid that things will change." Hiccup told her and it felt like his eyes was seeing right through her when he looked at her.

"But how do you know? That you no longer love her I mean, and that you won't get back togehter again? She asked, still fearing that a part of him still loved Astrid and that it would take him away from her. Taking her hand in his, Hiccup placed them over his chest where she could feel his heart beat powerfully in his chest.

"I know because I've met you." He told her simply and when she looked up his eyes were full of raw emotion, hiding none of his feelings from her view. The honesty and affection was almost so powerful that it scared her, but at the same time it made her heart soar at seeing how much he cared for her and her fear died away as she smiled up at him.

Lost in the moment, Elsa felt how the world fell away when he suddenly reached up and pulled out the pins from her hair so it fell down into the thick braid Brigitte had put up earlier. He then carefully pushed back the hair that had fallen down in her face behind her ear.

"It fits you much better." He told her, stroking her cheek before he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead softly, drawing back to leave her completely breathless while her body burned. And while she could see the clear conflict in his eyes when he ended the moment, and she wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her, she was also happy he had drawn back.

It was after all the right thing to do, he and Astrid needed closure and she didn't want to move further before they had it.

"I think we need to head back; they'll start looking for us otherwise." Hiccup told her, still clearly as affected by the moment as she was.

"You're right." She answered, gathering her thoughts as she composed her emotions once more. "Uhm... I might need some help to get back." She added, realizing she had no idea where she was.

"Well you're lucky, for this humble Viking Chief is ready to offer you a ride back." Hiccup laughed, bowing to her as the tension finally broke between them.

"How could I possibly say no to such an offer?" Elsa smiled, curtsying before she allowed Hiccup to lift her up on Toothless, the three of them soon flying through the air on their way back to Berk. Holding onto Hiccup, Elsa leaned her head against his back and closed her eyes with a smile when he placed his hands over hers.

When they landed on Berk, Elsa felt that the journey back had been far too short and when Hiccup help her down from Toothless, she took a hold of his hand when he was about to draw away.

"Thank you for coming after me and for understanding." She told him softly.

"Never thank me for what we both do." He told her, lifting her hand up and kissing it, his eyes never leaving hers. Unlike when Eret had done the same and she had felt nothing, she now felt her stomach clench a little as she looked up at him, feeling how much she hated that they could be so close and still so far away.

"I think I'll head back now, I left to abruptly before that I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable." She said, Hiccup not letting go of her hand as he sent her a skeptical look.

"I can assure you no one will care about that and even if they did, they'll to intoxicated by now to care anyway. You can't go back now." He told her.

"Really? And who is going to stop me?" She asked, screaming in surprise when Hiccup used his hold on her hand to pull her to him and lift her up like she weighed nothing at all. Then he started walking towards the Great Hall.

"Put me down! Hiccup, you put me down right now!" She shouted, Hiccup seemingly completely unfazed at her attempts to make him loose his balance so she could break free since he just kept on walking. "Fine! I'll go!" She finally shouted and, to her relief, she was back on the ground again while she was doing best to glare at her kidnapper. "But I'll only stay for a little while."

"We'll see about that, but at least you've came to your senses." He answered her with a happy smile as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close while she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"My senses? If I was sensible I would be on my way home now. No, I simply avoided being kidnapped by the Viking Chief just now." She replied, sneaking her arm around him as well.

"You're never going to stop with the kidnapping are you?" Hiccup sighed as he looked down at her with affectionate eyes.

"Not for as long as it works." Elsa replied with a smile, their voices disappearing as they entered the Great Hall again and disappeared from Toothless' view where he had been left behind. Not that he complained the slightest, instead he was feeling very happy with the night's progress.

"And here I thought I would have to worry about his mother pushing them together." The voice of the man who always followed the Ice-woman around suddenly said next to him, the man looking at him with accusing eyes. The man had been watching them from the shadow and while his two human companions had been oblivious to him, Toothless had known he was there all along.

Turning his head to the-man-who-feared-dragons, Toothless simply sent him a degrading look before he lifted into the air and flew towards his rider's wooden nest to finally get some sleep, wondering how his humans would have ever understood anything without him.

* * *

 **Toothless thinks of Elsa as his human! That dragon is too wonderful for us mere mortals, and also the most meddling I think haha! And don't kill me for the fact that they didn't kiss, they are both to noble and while I think it's good, they do annoy me as well!**

 **So what will happen now? How will Astrid react to this and, of course, how will Elsa react to Hiccup's past? Tell me, tell me!**

 **Until next time my dear readers and a lovely day to you all!  
/Lysistrate **


	19. Chapter 19

**Short chapter, but finally we are getting into Astrid's head. There have been many mixed theories about her, it's time to find out the truth about what she has been thinking! This chap is shorter since it is dedicated to Hiccup and Astrid, I didn't want to mix to many big moments in one chap!**

 **Laidyx:** Haha love, always chose love! ;) Yes that was not something he hadn't expected he would have to do, a little awkward for him! Ahh yes, but emotions sometimes makes us act silly and without reason, even if we often should be better to control them. Not meaning I defend Astrid's behavior, it was wrong! Haha yes our favorite dragon is, I think he deserve a medal. And I'm happy you see where Kai is coming from, he has seen Elsa grow up so he just wants her to safe and happy!  
No, English is not my first language, that's Swedish :) However I've been studying English since I was seven and I use it as comfortably as Swedish, it's my second language. The reason I write in English is both to reach more people, but mostly since I find it a lot easier to express myself in English than Swedish. The language has more expressive words than Swedish does when it comes to writing novels and such :) I aslo understand both Norwegian and Danish and speak some German haha ;)

 **Noctus Fury:** Kai and Astrid are characters that are causing so different reactions right now haha! I can really see why you think Kai is getting out of line, but know he only wants to protect Elsa. He as seen her grow up and, just like Mrs. Tomson, he has no family. He just wants to keep her protected. As for Astrid, I will be most curious to see what you say about her after this chapter! ;)  
Happy you liked the fluff and Brigitte/Eret! They are cute together! And yes the kiss, it was the only way if could have gone, Hiccup is, like you said, that kind of character!  
I really had no idea about that! :D Thank you for sharing, always fun to learn more since I love history! :D

 **Guest:** Thank you, thank you! :D At the current pace, one chap should be published once or twice each week until Christmas, meaning the end will be the christians gift for you all!

* * *

The days that followed after the first day of the wedding were filled with lavish feats and tournaments to celebrate the union of Snotlout and Ingrid. A wedding that only lasted for three days or less was seen as a huge disappointment among the Vikings. Therefore, since Snotlout belonged to one of the more prominent families, this wedding was planned for the whole week.

After that first night, neither Hiccup or Elsa managed to get a moment alone, but then again they weren't trying to sneak away either. While Elsa had never said anything, Hiccup knew that she was uncomfortable knowing he hadn't spoken with Astrid and, to be honest, Hiccup felt it the same. It wouldn't be fair to his oldest friend if they weren't on the same page before he considered moving forward with Elsa.

Still this didn't mean they had avoided each other either. When they got the chance, Hiccup and Elsa would sit next to each other and, at times, they would see the other look at them with eyes holding the affection they refused to let out into the open. Though they hoped none of the others noticed, it was clear they couldn't fool either Valka, Gobber or Fishlegs.

When Ingrid had begged Elsa to teach them the waltz, Elsa had given after some time. When she had, Fishlegs had offered to assist her when she needed to show the Vikings a special move or the poise. While most of his friends teased him about taking the opportunities to get close to her, she was simply extremely grateful. Elsa had spoken to him about her and Hiccup's situation and he had been a happy support.

Fishlegs had told her he understood why they had chosen to keep a distance to each other at the moment and, thanks to his knowledge of their secret, he and Elsa had gotten closer as friends. He was someone she could talk to and joke around with, often with the result of a sour look from Hiccup's direction. Not that she cared, it was good to have someone to confine in.

To Elsa's pleasant surprise, all the Vikings had turned out to be eager students, even if Tuff and Ruff complained about everything they could come up with. Today they were having their third lesson and Elsa was happy to see all the Vikings were all starting to get the hang of the pace and poise.

Though she had to admit seeing the big burly men trying to dance around gracefully was quite entertaining. It had been especially funny when Gobber had decided to join in, soon noticing that his wooden leg was very much in the way.

"I don't understand how you can stand so straight all of the time, I'm hurting my back!" A woman named Smarttail suddenly exclaimed angrily, letting let go of Tuffnut who was her partner. The short woman was a friend of Ingrid and had been irritated ever since Ruff had been paired up with Fishlegs and Brigitte with Eret.

"It's because you are not relaxing your shoulders." Elsa replied to her calmly, having gotten even more used to Vikings temperament the last few days Berk.

"And how am I supposed to relax when he is almost a head taller than me?!" Smarttail asked angrily, pointing to Tuff who gave her a small glare.

"Hey! If you can't handle the height of a Viking worrier, you're need to grow a bit more!" He replied, Smarttail sending him a glare that amazingly made him cover a little.

"I demand another partner!" She shouted, Elsa sighing.

"There is no need, it has nothing to with the height." She answered, the other woman still glaring at her.

"If it's so easy why don't you show it?" Smarttail replied.

"Fine, I will show you. Chief Haddock will you give me a hand?" The words left her before she had much time to reflect upon them. In that moment, she was just a teacher and Hiccup was the only one tall enough compared to herself to echo the difference between Smarttail and Tuff.

But when she looked at him where he was standing next to his mother against the wall, the grin on his face disappeared as a flash of emotion flew over his face. It was over in less than a second, but it was enough to remind her of how close they soon would be and to make her blood run faster for each step he got closer.

"Don't you dare step on my toes." She told him when he reached her, everyone in the room chuckling as he sent her a small glare.

"I'll be careful." He answered, and when he took her hand and placed his hand on her waist, his touch was feather light. Elsa was suddenly extremely aware of the fact that everyone was watching them. She also remembered why she had insisted that Anna or Rapunzel paired up with Hiccup during the few lessons they had given the Vikings back in Arendelle.

Even back then, when she was oblivious still to her attraction to him, she had been affected by him. She had felt how his warmth invaded her, left sensations behind. But now, now it was on a different level entirely. She tried to keep her voice normal when she spoke, even though she could feel how his hand burned trough her thin dress and made her wish he would draw her closer.

Looking up into his eyes, she had to fight getting lost in them and the moment as he guided her over the floor. Overall, the dance was extremely short, only a few steps across the floor in the Great hall. But when they stopped, it took them a second too long to let go off each other and Hiccup smiled down at her a moment to close the end.

Despite both being masters of concealment, they were no longer able to hide everything. Even the most oblivious fool could see there was something between them and the tension in the Great Hall caused a heavy silence to fill the room as everyone watched the contrasting pair. Only Valka, Gobber and Fishlegs had a knowing look in their eyes, while Brigitte looked between them confused before an excited smile spread over her face and she whispered something to Eret.

Elsa could only assume it had to with them since a smug smile spread over Eret's face as he looked between her and Hiccup.

Then a loud bang finally broke the silence as like a small bomb as the front doors flew open. The sudden sound made all of them jump, only to see that Astrid was suddenly nowhere to be seen. In silence, everyone watched how their Chef sent Queen Elsa a look they couldn't read. Apparently though the Queen could, for she nodded to him before he turned and ran after their friend.

"Now is this a lesson or a staring contest? Back to your partners." Queen Elsa's firm voice broke the silence, leaving no room for arguments. Not that anyone really knew what to say, they were all still too confused over what they had seen.

"You know; you teach us the dances of your people, but what would you say about us teaching you some of ours?" Valka asked, having walked up next to Elsa. "It's only fair that we give something back." She added, seeing the Queen's surprised look.

"I would like that very much." Elsa answered, her mind happy for any distraction she could get.

* * *

Astrid was fuming on the inside when she rushed trough the Village down to the arena. The urge to destroy something was still strong as she thought about Hiccup and Queen-doll-face, they were disgustingly obvious!

As she threw up the door into the room where the Vikings kept their gear, she knew her anger was a way of protecting her from the hurt she could feel underneath it. She had known Hiccup and Elsa felt something for each other, but she had never seen the extent of it. Before it had just been looks and occasional smiles, but only now did she realize how deep their feelings were.

They weren't just attracted to each other, that they had been able to hide, they were in love.

She couldn't understand when it had happened. In Arendelle she had been sure to never leave them alone and she had thought that when they left, they were still only feeling a pull to the other. But somehow, they must have kept on developing their feelings.

Thinking back now, Astrid realized how stupid she had been. Hiccup's depression after they had returned to Berk had been far more than simple sadness over a crush, it had been deeper. Astrid had hoped he would forget Elsa with time, that he would come back to her if she showed him she still loved him, but he had already been lost to her.

And that knowledge hurt. It hurt her that he had fallen back into his shell when Elsa wasn't there. She hated that he had had a new longing in his eyes, a new pain, that had disappeared when Elsa returned. It had made her jealous that Elsa apparently gave him something she couldn't give, for she truly didn't know what the other woman had offered.

Her jealousy had only grown since she and Elsa were so different. It had made her jealous to see Hiccup come to life when he knew Elsa would come and when Elsa had asked about him on their journey to Berk it had become too much.

In her denial, jealousy and hope, Astrid had "forgotten" to tell Elsa about the bedding and when she had been whisked away by Ingrid on her return, it had been too late to make it right. She had known what she did was wrong and since she had seen Elsa rush out of the Great Hall in distress she had also felt extremely guilty. In the moment Astrid had remembered that Elsa was also a foreign Queen and that she could have destroyed any good relation between Berk and Arendelle.

It also pained her that despite everything, Astrid couldn't despise Elsa either. She was a kind soul and an extremely powerful woman who had walked against all norms in her society to rule as Queen. And for those reasons Astrid respected her, no matter how much she hated to admit it.

With a more fierce pull than usual she picked up Stormfly's saddle and, finally having gathered all the gear, Astrid turned around only to freeze mid step. Hiccup was standing in the doorway, blocking the way out, and Astrid felt herself go a little cold.

Over the last few days she had avoided him like the plague. She had seen him and Elsa return together after the Queen had stormed out of the Great Hall and they had been glowing at each other. She had seen that despite their difference, things between them had changed.

But she had also known that this meant Hiccup knew she hadn't told Elsa about the wedding, so each time he had tried to approach her she had managed to slip away. Astrid knew she wouldn't be able to see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes, but even worse was knowing that he would tell her those fatal words.

She knew he wanted to talk about their relationship and she knew that it was not about them getting back togehter. She knew this and still she didn't want to hear it. She knew his feelings for Elsa, she knew things had changed, and still she didn't want things to change.

She didn't want to lose him. Granpabi had told her she would "through a choice made" and Hiccup had made a choice away from her.

"You're blocking the way." She therefore said, doing her best to sound calm as he simply looked at her with those green eyes that over the years had come to see right through her.

"I need to talk to you." He replied calmly, but there was an edge in his eyes that told him he was not so calm on the inside.

"You'll have to do it another time, I'm busy and I need to get going." She answered, moving forward as she hoped she could go past him, but Hiccup simply blocked her way and took the saddle from her. An easy feat since she was not really fighting him. "Give it back!" She snapped to him, but he only put it away, still looking calm.

"Astrid, we need to talk about the fact that you didn't tell Queen Elsa about the bedding." Hiccup told her with a firm voice and suddenly the betrayal was clear in his eyes. Seeing the emotion, she so had feared, Astrid felt even more ashamed than before. It was like a dark poison inside.

He had trusted her fully; she knew he had. He had always trusted her. But despite her shame, the mere mention of Elsa made the dark monster of jealousy and fear awaken inside.

"I forgot to tell her." She answered, shrugging her shoulders while she looked at him as neutrally as she could.

"You forgot?" Hiccup repeated, the calm anger getting on her nerves. Hiccup had never been one to explode, but this reminded Astrid of Elsa's own calm and collected anger. When had he changed?

"Yes, I forgot!" She snapped. "It was a lot to tell her and I happened to forget. How could I know she would get so upset?!" She said, seeing the anger finally starting to break through in Hiccup.

Good.

"Don't lie! You knew! I trusted you to tell her!" Hiccup snapped back. "I know you have a problem with Elsa, but I still trusted you!" He shouted at her, but Astrid didn't focus on her guilt and self-hatred. Instead she focused on how he had said Elsa's name.

"So she is Elsa now?! Or do you have any other words of affection you share when you're alone?!" She asked him mockingly, her words not getting the reaction she had thought. Instead of more anger, Hiccup suddenly looked at her with sad eyes.

"Astrid…" He began but she interrupted him.

"NO! I don't want to hear it!" She screamed, the fear taking over taking over as she tried to reach the door. She couldn't lose him to Miss Doll-face, she couldn't.

But she didn't reach it since Hiccup got in the way.

"I'm done with you leaving, you need to hear me out!" Hiccup told her, taking a hold of her shoulders to stop her while Astrid glared up at him.

In that moment, she could see how much he hated himself for hurting her. She could see the hurt mix with his anger. But she hated him even more for him knowing her so well, for knowing she still felt something for him.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" She snapped, pushing his hands away so she could put some distance between them.

"Well for once you can't do whatever you want!" Hiccup snapped back at her, his green eyes flaring up while Astrid felt how the anger, jealousy and fear became too much.

"Okay fine! You want to talk?! How about we begin with you telling me when you turned your sights to the perfect Queen?! For you told me that you didn't know what everyone saw in her! Did you lie to me?! Have you been sneaking around behind my back?!" Astrid screamed at him.

"Of course not!" Hiccup exclaimed angrily.

"So when did you do it? When you found out how powerful she truly is or how much riches she has?" Astrid screamed.

"Are you actually saying I would be with anyone for their wealth?!" Hiccup screamed back at her, taking a step closer with eyes that burned her, but she stood her ground.

"I'm asking you when you choose her!" Astrid shouted, expecting him to scream back at her, but instead the anger suddenly seemed to leave him. Instead he took a step back and he took a deep breath as his eyes turned torn.

"I don't know." Hiccup told her quietly, Astrid staring at him. Stunned at his answer and honesty.

"What?! What do you mean you don't know? If you've been sneaking around with her, you must know when you chose her!" She screamed at him, feeling the insecurity rise within. He had chosen Elsa. Grandpabi had said a choice could take him away from her and he had chosen the Queen. It had to be this. It had to!

"We haven't snuck around; I've never even kissed her." Hiccup answered harshly, sending her a glare before his expression turned softer. "I honestly I don't know when I stared to notice her differently. I didn't choose to start feel anything at all. She just snuck up on me, slowly like frost and one day… One day she was just there and there was no choice to be made. I already…"

He trailed off, looking away from her, but Astrid had already seen the emotion he didn't say. Although she had seen it before, although she had known, it still hit her like a fist in the stomach.

"You love her." She whispered, Hiccup sending her a pained look but he didn't say anything. He knew he didn't need to. He knew she could see it; he knew she knew.

"I've waited for you more than two damn years Hiccup!" Astrid exploded, finally allowing the hurt to well up. "I know I haven't shown it, but I've never seen myself with anyone else! I never wanted to lose you and when I finally feel ready to try you have chosen another!" She screamed.

"That's not true! I never turned my sights to Elsa, I didn't choose her over you!" Hiccup shouted back, the frustration clear. "Don't you think we've tried to get rid off any affection between us?! Why do you think I left her in Arendelle?! We know it's impossible for us to be togehter, but we didn't choose this! It just happened! And even if it hadn't, you and I wouldn't have gotten back together." He told her, his eyes sad.

"You can't say that! We were trying to find our way; we just need some more time!" Astrid replied, knowing herself that her words weren't entirely true. She had barely about them together until she had realized she might lose him.

"Astrid we haven't spoken about our relationship in almost two years! This is the first time! We've never talked about a future together; we've even been planning our lives as anything but a couple! Neither of us ever tired to go back, not until you noticed that things were starting to change." Hiccup answered, Astrid hating that he knew her so well.

She didn't want to admit the truth and the truth was that Hiccup was right.

"You don't know that, we might have been planning differently but we were still…" She began, knowing she was grasping for air and she didn't argue when Hiccup interrupted her.

"No we weren't." He said firmly, sighing as he looked at her with sad eyes. "I love you Astrid, I always will but I've changed; we both have. I'm not the young man who wanted nothing but adventure, to travel the world and never settle down anywhere. I still want freedom, but I have to look after the tribe. I'm not free to leave them and I know this is my place to be. I've always been torn, an outsider, but I haven't felt like that in a while and I no longer want to. I want to settle down."

"You mean; you want a family?" Astrid asked him, seeing the answer clearly in his eyes.

"I do, not right now, but unlike two years ago, I have come to accept my role as Chief. It has changed me; I still want freedom to travel at times but I no longer feel like I need to search for a place to fit in. I feel like I can finally focus on Berk and I need someone who is on the same page." He told her.

"You mean I won't be able to focus on Berk?" Astrid snapped, Hiccup giving her a small smile.

"I know you would, but are you ready to sacrifice a part of your life for them? To give up the freedom of going wherever you want whenever you want to? Are you ready to put them first no matter what? To start a family and give up your role as shield maiden? Are you ready to be a leader and a mother to the tribe?" He asked her as she stared at him.

At the mere thought of children Astrid felt her stomach turn. She wasn't ready for that and she was not ready to settle down; there was still so much she wanted to do! In fact, she didn't know if she wanted children at all! She was not the motherly type, she had no patience with tiny humans and she couldn't imagine tackling all the problems of the tribe. The one that was connected to dragons and defending Berk sure, but not the others.

When she and Hiccup had courted she had never needed to think about this. All they had needed to focus on was finding new dragons, explore the world and protect the tribe. As the Chief's wife she would get another position, she would still be allowed to fight, but she wouldn't be free to leave when she wished. She would be bond to the people and she didn't want that, not yet. Perhaps not ever.

So no matter how much she hated to admit it, they had changed and things were different. She felt her heart ache painfully knowing she couldn't be happy living that life, neither one of them would. Hiccup was not the same, they didn't want the same things.

"Elsa will never settle down here." She said, seeing the troubled expression on Hiccup's face.

"I know; I'll never ask her to, but I think we can solve it somehow. We're still figuring things out for we both know we won't be happy apart." He told her.

"You know I still love you." She replied, Hiccup looking at her with sad eyes.

"I know and if dad hadn't died I think we would still be together. We didn't think life would take us here, I never wanted to be Chief so quickly, but I did and it forced me to see things differently. Just like I never wanted to fall in love, it just happened." He told her.

It was the first time he had said it, that he loved Elsa. Hearing him say it, Astrid just knew there really was no going back. It hadn't been for some time and if she didn't let him go, he would still leave. She had seen him turn into a shell and now he was back full of life. There was a fire in him again, one that hadn't been there for so long.

And just like that, Astrid knew she had gotten it all wrong. Grandpabi had told her a choice could take him away from her or keep him in her life. The choice had never been Hiccup's or Elsa's, it was hers.

For a moment, all she wanted to do was scream, shout and go berserk. She wanted to tell Hiccup that Elsa was not worthy of his love and that he should pick her instead, that she could change. She wanted him to stay! But he wouldn't.

She could remind him of all the problems and difficulties being with Elsa would bring. She could plead with him to stay with her, to chose her and if he did, they could never be happy. He would always long for Elsa, he would always love her and wonder. Astrid herself would be thrown into a life she wasn't ready for; a game she didn't want to play.

It hurt her to realize the truth, that Grandpabi had been talking about this very moment. The moment where she had to chose between letting him go, or force him to stay. She had thought for so long that getting back together was the way she would keep him in her life, but it wasn't. He hadn't been alive for so long until he met Elsa and he had regressed when she was away. If she kept them apart he would not stay with her, she would lose the man who was her best friend and she couldn't do that.

So no matter how much she wanted to make him stay, that she didn't want him to be with Elsa, she knew what was more important. She wanted him to be happy, she never wanted him to be "just alive" again.

And if that meant she had to let go him, that was what she would do. If they were happiest as friends, that was what they would be. Having Hiccup in her life was better than losing him.

After all, that was what this had been all about.

"Have you told Elsa about your dad?" Astrid therefore asked him, his silence and guilty expression giving her the answer. "Then you should tell her, you have to be honest with her. Even if you hate to talk about it, she cannot be with you if she doesn't know about that."

At her words, he looked at her with surprise before his face broke into a smile. While his eyes were suddenly alive again, they were still sad for he knew what she doing. She was giving him up, she was giving him and Elsa her permission.

"You're right. Thank you." He answered, Astrid giving him a sad smile.

"I'm always right." She replied, hitting him on the arm as he chuckled, opening his arms. For a second she hesitated before she walked into his arms and gladly accepted his comfort. Breathing in his scent one last time, she had to fight the tears. This was not her losing him, this was a new beginning for them, she just knew it.

And with the conviction she was right, she felt how a weight lifted from her shoulders. She hadn't even been aware of it until now and, feeling more free than she had for years, she was the first to draw back.

"I also want to say how sorry I am for breaking your trust, I feel horrible. I just…" But Hiccup just smiled down at her, putting his arm around her as they started walking back towards the Great Hall.

"You know; I have been suffering of memory loss of late. I have these bits and pieces I forget and I have no memory of that. If you never remind me of it, I don't think I ever will either." He simply told her and she felt how extremely luckily she was to have him in her life.

She knew he was letting her go easily and she knew she didn't deserve it, but she also knew he had told her to never break his trust again.

And she never would.

When they once again entered the Great Hall though, their focus shifted quickly as they both stopped to stare in shock at Tuffnut. The man was running around with a small chubby snowman that was holding onto his leg, refusing to let go.

"Get him off! I'm being hurt; I'm being very much hurt! Get him off!" He shouted, the rest of the group inside just watching with huge smiles. A few even started laughing when the snowman started to climb up Tuff's leg.

"What is going on here?" Astrid asked Valka who was watching the spectacle with Eret and Brigitte. Looking at her, Valka smiled.

"Tuff and Smarttail got into a fight again, though this time Tuff refused to continue dancing with her. So the Queen gave him a new partner." Valka said, both of them now watching how Hiccup walked up to Elsa and Gobber who were standing across the room.

"By creating a snowman? That's actually quite funny." Astrid answered, seeing how Hiccup was staring at Elsa with disbelief before he smiled. He then said something that caused her blush and hit him on the arm. Their interaction was so simple and easy that it was impossible to miss the love between them. They looked happy and alive, something Elsa hadn't done the first time Astrid met her, and something Hiccup hadn't done since Stoick's death.

Seeing them together, Astrid knew, without a doubt, that she had made the right decision. She would help them if she could, for Hiccup deserved to be happy.

"It is quite funny and we were all quite surprised." Valka replied. "But his name is a bit strange." She added, looking at the snowman who somehow had managed to climb up on Tuff's back.

"What is it?" Astrid asked, seeing how Hiccup leaned down and told Elsa something. Nodding her head, they both quietly walked away through the back door.

"Fluffly Snowball." Valka replied, frowning a little at the horrible name while Astrid shook her head.

"And they think we're strange." She replied, laughing when the chubby snowman reached up to give Tuff a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

 **Poor Astrid, my heart aches for her! I love her as a character and she really just did what is so easy to do, she misinterpreted what Grandpabi said and, luckily, she realized what he meant before it was too late. But it also really show that in the end, just like he said to Hiccup, it all comes down to our choices and sometimes, no matter what we do, the choices of others affects us in ways we cannot control.**

 **So what do you think of her? And what will happen next. I think someone wants to tell Elsa about her past! And what about the appearance of Fluffy?! I love that little snowman!  
**

 **Until next time!  
/Lysistrate **


	20. Chapter 20

**The moment has come! Gahh I'm excited for this! I will not hold you up here, read and we'll see each other at the end! ;) But, it can be good to read my answer to Guest's review who asked a very good question; What does Elsa know about Stoick?**

 **Noctus Fury:** I'm so happy you liked their talk, they really needed to clear the air and I know it was good for both of them to get closure! Just like you, I normally ship Hiccstrid, I love them together, but that's what makes it even more fun to develop the characters as an author and slightly change them so things becomes different! :D And I must admit, Hiccelsa is starting to beat Hiccstrid very much in my book haha!  
I'm very impressed by all you know! It's so fun to talk with someone who has such a huge interest! Just out of curiosity, do you just read for fun or do you study history as well?  
Haha it is Fluffy, a third snowman is running around, call the snow-police haha!

 **Laidyx:** I'm glad you liked how they sovled it all between them and Astrid will indeed be happier now. Hahaha ohh what a vision! I think Tuff would be left buried in a pile of snow, or maybe Hiccup would do something to him? There is one day left of the wedding so anything can still happen ;)  
Yes do Hiccup have to fear rejection or not? Now you'll finally get the answer!

 **Newboy:** Yes the truth is coming out, Elsa's reaction is what is on the line and indeed that will probably be shock! A ruthless man who can control dragons, I think one would think twice again suddenly.

 **Guest:** Is Drago dead or not? I wish I could tell you, but you'll have to wait just a teeny, tiny bit longer! As for Elsa knowing how Stocik was as a person she has some knowledge. Hiccup has told her about how he was an outcast and that not only the tribe but his father looked down at him. She knows about their rocky relationship, that they improved it as Hiccup got more and more accepted and that he is dead, she just don't know when or how he died. Nor does she know anything that happened through all of HTTYD2, only tiny bits and pieces. The big secret has always been the events surrounding Stoick's death and now, we'll finally know how Hiccup feels about it.

* * *

20.

"Stop mocking me!" Elsa laughed.

"I'm not, I'm just saying that I missed the flower and the body-less little man. With those present it would've been the most horrifying thing I'd ever seen." Hiccup smirked at her, laughing when she lightly hit him on the arm.

"Fluffy isn't supposed to be scary, he is supposed to be sweet and loving! I only conjured him because I was tired of hearing Tuffnut complain." She replied.

"Tuffnut is terrified of sweet, I don't even think he has ever encountered it before. Never even thought I would put Tuff and "sweet" in the same sentence actually." Hiccup grinned at her.

"If you don't stop I will walk straight back to the Village and offer to be Tuffnut's partner myself." She threatened and even though he knew it was a joke, Hiccup still frowned at the mere thought.

"Fine, I'll behave! But I still think you should have given Fluffy a flower." He replied, avoiding the blast of snow she threw at him with a laugh. Ignoring her glare, he then put his arm around her, making sure she was covered by his coat as well.

At his action Elsa rolled her eyes, for despite her thin dress she wasn't bothered by the cold, but she still allowed him to care for her as they kept on walking through the forest in silence.

The winter landscape around them was silent, their steps and a woodpecker in the distance the only sounds heard in the forest. Winter was always special, for the season caused the world to fall asleep. The sounds were always fewer while there was a feeling of waiting in the air.

Above them, the sky was already turning dark even though the sun had only been up for a few hours. It was still shining red through the trees, making the snow glitter and turn orange. Soon the sun wouldn't rise at all, it never did when winter reached its peak. For more than a month, the moon and the night ruled over Berk. For more than a month, the sun never rose, not until time turned and the sun was allowed to slowly reclaim its place in the sky.

They were opposites, the sun and the moon. While the moon ruled over the winter, turning it into a glittering display of tiny crystals, lighting up the snow with its cold light, the sun ruled over summer. The world that was asleep during winter awoke again in the spring, the cycle reaching its other peak during midsummer when the sun never left the sky instead, creating endless days without nights.

In the end, it was an eternal cycle. One in perfect balance of two equally strong forces. Now ruled winter and when the pale full moon finally had claimed the whole sky, Hiccup couldn't help to notice how well Elsa fitted into the landscape.

The part of her that wasn't covered by his dark coat lit up by light just as well as the snow around them. She was a glowing peak next to him, a great contrast to his warmth. In this world, he was the one who had to adapt, he didn't naturally fit in. Just like she had adapted and waited for the cooler nights when they had been in Arendelle this year during the summer.

"You talked to Astrid." Elsa suddenly stated calmly, Hiccup realizing he had been lost staring at her for some time.

"I did." He replied while clearing his throat, a little embarrassed she had caught him staring. "She already knew." He added, Elsa only nodding her head. After all, they had both already been very aware that Astrid wasn't in the dark.

"How did she take it?" She asked, looking at him with hesitant and wondering eyes as they walked out of the forest and began walking up a hill. It was a place she had never been to before and Hiccup hadn't told her where they were going, he had only said he wanted to talk to her.

"Better than I expected. She understood and she was sorry." He simply replied, for even though could tell Elsa anything, he still felt that the conversation between him and Astrid belonged to them. Elsa didn't need to know that Astrid, to some point, still loved him. It didn't matter. Astrid had given her permission and Hiccup had already made his choice.

He had made it even before he met Elsa really, for even then had he known deep down that he and Astrid wasn't getting back together.

If Elsa had asked however, he would have told her everything, but she didn't. Instead she just smiled warmly at him as they stopped at the top of the hill and relax against his side as she looked down at Berk below them. Her trusting him so completely, especially when he knew how difficult it was for her to trust anyone, made him realize once again how much he loved the woman standing next to him.

"This is a very beautiful place." Elsa said, looking towards the horizon while the wind played with the few strands of hair that had escaped her braid. Berk lay below them, the ocean ahead and his father's statue could be seen in it's full glory behind Berk, lit up by the moon.

It was the reason he had brought her here, to tell her about his dad. He had known for quite some time that he had to, he wanted to, but he didn't know where to begin. He didn't want there to be any secrets between them, but how did you share your darkest secret with the one who meant the most to you?

For he was afraid, he was afraid that when he told her he would lose her, and it was that fear that held him back. She was so beautiful, so pure, with hair like silver and her pale skin a little rosy from the cold. She was smiling and she looked so peaceful, so content, that he didn't want to ruin the moment.

What if she couldn't understand his guilt? Or what if she turned away from him? What if she called him a killer or pitted him? What if she feared him? Or found him to be a fool just like Astrid?

So instead of telling her, he stayed silent while he kept telling himself that he just needed another second to gather his courage. He needed just another moment to remember her if she was to disappear from his life forever.

"Who is he? The man who watches over you all? I have been curios ever since I got here but I have forgotten to ask. Is he one of your Gods?" Elsa suddenly broke the silence, Hiccup realizing she hadn't been staring at the horizon at all but at his dad's statue.

When he didn't answer her, she looked up at him with a questioning expression that turned slightly concerned when she was that he was looking at her with a torn expression.

He was so terrified of telling her, but there was no going back, not anymore. He had to tell her, she had even unknowingly given him the opening he hadn't known how to find on his own. The universe was screaming at him and he knew he could no longer hide.

"It's my dad, Stoick the Vast." Hiccup began, Elsa's eyes turning softer as she looked at his father's statue once more. Hiccup had only called him dad or Stoick before, but she didn't think much about the change.

"A great name." She answered, knowing that Vikings titles were earned and never given if not deserved. Seeing the man who had been Hiccup's father, she couldn't help to think how extremely different they were. There were no similarities at all, but then again Hiccup had told her they had been so very different and how he had always wished to be like his father.

"He was a great man." Hiccup replied quietly, a small silence between them before he spoke again. "He wanted me to become Chief even before he passed."

"That is a huge honor." Elsa replied carefully, seeing the pained and broken expression in Hiccup's eyes as he refused to meet her eyes, instead he was staring at his father, his eyes fixed on the statue. This was something he had never shared with her before. He had told her so much about his dad and their strained relationship, but he had never told her this.

Seeing his expression though, she knew that whatever was to come it was what Hiccup had been hiding for her all this time. She could see how hard it was for him to talk about it and she knew that before, he had always pulled back.

"It was a great honor. He…" Hiccup drew in a deep breath, letting go off her as he turned away from her and from his father's watching eyes. Seeing his tense shoulders, Elsa felt her heart beat a little faster, wondering what could have possibly happened to put him in this state.

"Hiccup?" She said hesitantly when he didn't turn back to her. Feeling the pain that seemed to emit from him, Elsa suddenly knew he wasn't going to tell her on his own. He would need someone who asked.

So instead of simply telling him to tell her in his own time, like he had done to her that night by the pond, Elsa walked around so she was standing in front of him. He was staring down at the ground, his eyes closed, so she put her hand on his cheek so she could turn his head up. At her touch his eyes opened and at the intense guilt, pain and sorrow she could see in them she felt how her own heart ached at the mere sight.

But this was the moment when she needed to be strong, just like had been for her. He had picked her up at her lowest point, he had brought her back and he had helped her move on. If she could help him in the same way, even if it was just a little, she would.

She always would.

"What happened?" She asked him, pushing away her own conflicting emotions as he looked away from her again to look at his father. All she allowed to remain within was her love for the man before her and her knowledge that she had to keep an open mind. She needed to listen, she needed to hear it all.

"Hiccup?" Hearing his name, his eyes found hers again and she could see the battle, the torn look on his face. Then he suddenly reached out and stroked her cheek. His green eyes were taking in her every feature, every line, like he was trying to memorize her. There was fear in them, so much feat, that it was he almost didn't think she was really there.

Like he was thought he would lose her.

"Hiccup, what happened?" She asked softly once again, and she finally saw how the wall fell. How he looked both terrified and defeated as his hand fell from her cheek.

"I killed him."

* * *

He was an idiot; he knew he was a total idiot! How could he have just thrown out those three words without any warning or explanation?! When he finally had been able to speak though they had just slipped out, and there was nothing he could do to take them back.

Thankfully, Elsa didn't react the way he thought she would. In fact she didn't react much at all. She didn't draw back from him, nor did she scream or stare at him with fear. She didn't look at him with pity or fake compassion, she just looked at him searchingly. It was almost as if she was trying to figure out if she should believe him or not.

In the end though, her eyes remained soft but turned otherwise unreadable before she told him to make a fire so they could talk. Unable to see how she was truly reacting to his words, but thankful she seemed ready to listen despite his stupid move, Hiccup started a fire while Elsa cleared the ground off snow. The silence was heavy between them until they sat down and Elsa turned to him again.

"Tell me." She simply stated and no matter how hard he tried, he could see no judgment in her eyes. In a way it calmed him. He had wanted someone to just listen to him for so long, but at the same time he knew she couldn't be was calm on the inside as she was on the outside.

It scared him, not knowing what she was thinking, but he also knew she was not going to interrupt him. Unlike his mother, Astrid and Gobber, she was not immediately going to try and change his mind. She was going to listen to him unlike what everyone else had done in the past.

For that had been what caused the rift between him, his mom, Astrid and Gobber in the first place. They had tried so hard to convince him that it wasn't his fault that they, no matter how hard he had tried to explain, had never listened to him. They had always tried to make him see their truth, while they refused to listen to what he already knew.

They had never understood that he knew he was fully responsible.

In the end, about three months after his dad's passing, Hiccup had finally exploded. It had been the same day he had broken with Astrid and after a huge fight with all the three of them, Hiccup had taken Toothless and left Berk. For three weeks he had been gone, alone to grieve and put up the defenses he had relied on ever since.

When he came back the three of them had finally left him alone, but things had changed. An invisible line had appeared between them, a line that meant Hiccup ignored their concerned looks while they never commented on how he, at times, disappeared. How he would only exist as he tired to cope with his guilt.

But it wasn't his mother, Astrid or Gobber sitting next to him now. It was Elsa and he knew she would listen. He knew, despite her affection for him, that she would judge him fairly for that was who she was.

With this knowledge, Hiccup took a deep breath as he stared into the flames. That way he wouldn't have to see any of her reactions on her face if there were any.

"It all began with dad telling me he wanted me to take over." He began and after those first few words, they suddenly seemed to flow out of him. There was no stopping them and the more he spoke, the easier it became to tell her.

He told her about how he had not felt ready to become Chief, how the idea of being tied down to Berk when he wanted to explore the world had made him feel trapped. He told her about how he and Toothless had flown far beyond the lands they had explored before and how they met Eret. He told her about their first encounter and how they had found out about Drago.

He told her that when his dad had been informed, he had ordered a lockdown of the Village and that Hiccup hadn't agreed with him. That he had left anyway, determined to try and talk to Drago before a possible war came to them.

"My dad and Gobber followed us. Dad wanted to take us back to Berk, he would've forced me if he could, but I refused to listen to him. Dad was always extremely stubborn, one of a few treats of his I've inherited, and I became frustrated. He wanted me to become Chief, but he wasn't willing to listen to me. So instead of following him home I flew away once again." Hiccup paused for a moment, staring into the flames. "I should have listened to him." He added quietly, thinking how different things would have been if he had.

"You made a choice." Hearing Elsa's voice he realized he had been lost in his thoughts. It was the first time she had spoken at all and, when he turned to her, her eyes were unyielding. He couldn't look away. "A leader shall always protect his people, you thought there was a solution that didn't involve a war. You acted like a Chief, just like your father. As Queen of Arendelle I can say that I also would have tried to talk with this man first as well instead of just waiting for him to arrive."

He could see she meant every word she said and hearing that Elsa also would've tried to talk with Drago was strangely comforting. His own people didn't fear war, sure they didn't want it, but for them it wasn't a last resort. There was glory to be won and a warrior in death allowed into Valhalla.

Elsa however came from a different world, a world where politics had become the first battlefield and where war had become more of a last resort. She could understand his hatred for fighting, that even if glory greeted you after death, living was always better option.

Knowing she understood his reasoning, Hiccup continued to tell her how he had found his mother, or more how she had found him. He told her about the dragon sanctuary, smiling despite his heavy feelings at her awed expression, and that his dad had decided to follow him. He told her that despite being apart for to decades, his parents had still loved each other and how they had all hoped that they could become a family again.

When he came to the part of Drago's attack Hiccup saw moments of the battle flash before his eyes, the chaos that had been surrounding them, the blasts and the screams from both dragons and humans. As he spoke, he felt the anger awaken inside and when he told her about how the black Bewilderbeast had taken control over Toothless, he barely even noticed he had clenched his hands into fists.

"Even after having seen how Drago controlled the Bewilderbeast, even though I saw he wanted nothing more than to destroy us, I still tried to talk to him. I gave him the opportunity to take control over Toothless and I wasn't fast enough to break through to him once he was controlled by the black Alpha. My dad took the blast that was meant for me, he threw himself between me and Toothless." Hiccup said, his voice strained as he tried to hold back the tears.

"If I had just listened, if I hadn't been so stubborn he would still be alive! If I hadn't run away or just realized Drago was as bad as dad told me he would still be alive." He whispered angrily, feeling the guilt and pain rip through his defenses inside. They became like a dark hole, sucking him down into a place that felt empty, but only held his darkest feelings. He hadn't realized it had grown so strong over the years.

Looking over at Elsa, he saw that she was just looking back at him with an unreadable expression. Her eyes were calm, glowing in the moonlight, and even though they showed nothing at all, he still felt how her unwavering look pushed him into a corner. It was like she was waiting for something and suddenly he wanted her to say something! Anything! He wanted her to react!

Feeling his distress rise within, there was nothing left that could hold back the anger, guilt and hate the felt towards himself. They were rising to the surface as a result of him being fully exposed to her and he couldn't stop them as they filled him up.

"Don't you see?! I killed him!" He screamed at her, lashing out as the guilt and grief became too much to bear, and he rose from the ground as he started to pace in front of her. "That blast was meant for me; it wasn't meant for him! I led him to that moment because I didn't listen! I forced him to come after me since I didn't return to Berk! He had met Drago, he knew what kind of man he was and I didn't believe him! I was so certain I could change everyone that I refused to see the truth! I led him to his death because I was naïve and stupid!" He screamed to the sky, to her, to anyone listening.

But mostly he was screaming at himself. He was letting out the anger that had poisoned him for so long, the anger he had felt towards himself and towards the world. It wasn't fair, it hadn't been his dad's time to go. But as the anger started to wash away, it left room for the grief and the guilt instead. He felt it swallow him up from the inside, weighing him down until it became too heavy for him even to stand. The darkness was eating him up, nothing could stop it. He had let it out and now it was consuming him since he couldn't hide from the truth.

The truth that his dad would be alive if it wasn't for him and his choices. Every choice he had made had led his dad to his death. He knew it had. Had he not left, his dad never would've been forced to follow, or if he had just gone back to Berk, they both would've returned.

"I killed him. I led him there… I… I… killed my dad." He whispered, ready to give in to that dark hole in his heart that held all the hate he felt for himself! He had torn his family apart when it had finally gotten back together! He had torn his parents apart! He was the cause his mother had lost her husband; she had lost him because her son had been so naïve.

And he hated himself for having been so young, for not listening. Had he just listened things would have been different.

He knew it would have been, he knew….

Then there was suddenly something in the dark, a feeling that wasn't filled with poison, but cold. It was a clod that seeped through him, sending tingles through his skin and into his heart. It awakened a light that broke through the darkness as the strange feeling grew stronger. It was love, love and a memory of happier emotions. Lighter emotions.

And it was all coming from a cold hand on his shoulder.

Like seeing through a dark haze, Hiccup looked up at the cold presence next to him. Ice-blue eyes were staring into his, eyes full of tears.

No they weren't just full of tears, the tears were falling down like drops of ice from a face that glowed like the moon. It was the light in the night sitting next to him and she wasn't supposed to cry. He didn't want her to. But it wasn't he who dried her tears, instead another cold hand brushed over his face and he realized she was drying his tears, that he was crying as well.

"Oh Hiccup." Elsa whispered to him, her eyes pained when she looked at him. But there was something else in them as well. Guilt.

Suddenly terrified, Hiccup drew back from her as his heart ached painfully for a different reason. It felt like knives through his heart and he couldn't look at her when she said it, he couldn't hear it.

"Don't tell me you're leaving. Don't tell me, just go. I can't hear you say it." He whispered, astonished when he felt a cold hand that forced him back, that forced him to look at her.

"I'm not leaving." She said firmly, her eyes still full of tears but at least they weren't falling anymore and they were full of determination. There was no room for arguments, she meant it.

"Then you're going to tell me it wasn't my fault, but it was. I know it was. I cannot hear another say it wasn't, I know what choices I made and I know what they did." He told her and, to his surprise, she smiled sadly at him as the guilt and pain reappeared.

"How could I ever tell you that when I am a killer myself? When I am just as guilty as you for making choices that led to a loved one's death?" She whispered, Hiccup so shocked he forgot about the darkness that still wanted to drag him down. Time seemed stop as his brain tried to comprehend what she had just said, his sole focus shifting to the woman in front of him.

"What… y-y-ou don't… when… you…" He stammered, unable to form a full sentence as he tried to see if she was laying. But there was nothing hidden in her eyes, they were open and honest. There were no walls left between them, there was nothing left between them at all.

It was only them, without any walls or secrets.

"I killed Anna." Elsa told him quietly, the guilt in her eyes growing stronger.

"Anna is alive. I know she is, she is alive!" Hiccup answered in disbelief. He knew Anna was alive, he had met her. She was more alive than most even.

"She is, but there was a time when she wasn't. I never told you how the long winter I accidently created ended." Elsa replied, as his racing mind realized she was right. She had never explained it, she had just told him Hans tried to killed her and that the winter had ended, that was all.

"When Anna found me up in the mountains, she wanted me to come back with her." Elsa told him quietly. "She was convinced we could figure it all out together, that I could end the winter. But I couldn't and I realized I couldn't control my power. It made me terrified, I wanted her to leave but she refused. It made me panic, I was so scared of hurting her and horrified at the prospect of returning to my old life that my power lashed out. It attacked the one person who was causing me all of my distress, the one who reminded me of who I was and who, unknowingly, wanted me to suppress myself."

Now it was Elsa's turn to look away, but she looked down at their hands she had joined together and was resting in her lap. Through his connection with her, and their mutual pain, Hiccup felt how she anchored him. Somehow the darkest parts of themselves connected them, kept him grounded.

"It attacked Anna." He filled in, Elsa nodding her head as she looked up at him again.

"You have seen me once, what my power can do. It's beautiful when used right but when used wrong… I froze Anna's heart. It's an extremely painful and slow death where a person's heart turns to ice." Elsa whispered.

"How did you save her?" Hiccup asked, wondering how the princess could've possibly survived.

"Love thaws. An act of true love thaws a frozen heart." Elsa said quietly as powerful warm emotions that suddenly surfaced as she looked at him. Her gaze made his heart beat faster despite the heavy feelings weighing him down. Looking into her eyes it was so clear that she wasn't only referring to Anna's frozen heart, but her own as well and that it was no longer frozen.

It was no longer frozen because of him. The knowledge stunned him for a moment, but Elsa only continued.

"Anna thought a true loves kiss would save her so she returned to Arendelle to find Hans. She thought they loved each other, but he betrayed her and locked her inside the castle. When he found me in the storm, he told me she was dead. I was paralyzed with grief, fear and guilt. I hated myself, saw myself as a monster. But she was alive, Anna had escaped and she was searching for Kristoff. He was within her reach and she could have chosen him. She could have saved herself, but she didn't. Instead she threw herself between me and Hans, his sword shattering as she turned to ice."

Here new tears started to fall from Elsa's eyes, still falling as drops of ice.

"She was gone, a statue of ice frozen in time and in the very moment she had sacrificed herself for me. But she survived, her sacrifice was an act of true love and it saved her. It thawed her heart and she lived, but I still hated and blamed myself for so long. She survived thanks to a twist of fate, but for a moment she was dead. I froze her heart. Because of my lack of control, my choices to run, I sentenced my own baby sister, the last of my family, to death. Even though I know I couldn't have done it differently, I still think of what could've happened and, when I do, I still hate myself." Elsa whispered.

Seeing her broken expression, Hiccup felt how his own pain became secondary to hers. He loved her and she needed him, he couldn't bare to see her hurt. She meant more to him than himself and he felt the darkness die away a little more. He had something he needed to do, someone who needed him.

He had something he couldn't give up on.

"But she didn't die." He told her, drawing her in for a hug which she fully returned as she clung to him. What he didn't notice was that he held onto her just as fiercely. "It was an accident and it wasn't your fault. Anna had a choice, she made choices too and nothing you did could've changed them. She chose to save you. It's not your fault." He told her, feeling how much he needed to convince her.

He couldn't allow her to carry that guilt, not when it came from a delusion that wasn't the truth.

To his surprise though, Elsa drew back and smiled up at him sadly through her tears while her eyes shone at him with unerstanding and warmth. He also noticed they were no longer falling as ice, as if the warmth in her gaze kept them as normal tears.

"You wish to free me from my guilt and yet you are unable to free yourself. We have committed the same crime, the crime of being unable to control the events and choices of those around us. How can you not call me a killer when you say that you are?" She asked him, her piercing eyes making him panic for a second.

He opened his mouth to contradict her, to bite her off and tell her it wasn't the same, but no words came out. Instead he felt his breath leave him and he became empty inside. He was left staring into her piercing eyes that forced his mind to open to the possibility that she might be right.

But she couldn't be, could she? No she couldn't, it wasn't the same, it…

Taking his face in her hands, he knew she could see that she had his full attention, for she smiled at him. Her eyes smiled at him, they saw right through him for they understood. They knew everything and still they were full of conviction, for she had already been here. She had made it to the other side.

In that moment, he had never felt more vulnerable in his entire life.

"I made the choice to leave." Elsa told him firmly. "Anna made the choice to come after me and not to me listen when I told her to go. She made the choice to stay, just like she made the choice to save me. Your father didn't have to come after you when you ran off. He shouldn't have. He was the Chief, he should've stayed on Berk and protected the tribe. But he didn't, he chose to come after you not only once, but twice. Just like Anna chose to come after me. It was his choice, just like it was his choice to throw himself in front of you to save you, just like Anna saved me. His love for you made him choose the one option where he knew you would survive, just like Anna."

Listening to her, Hiccup felt how he drew in every word she said. It was like he was drowning and her voice, her conviction and her words were the only thing that could save him. And for each word she spoke, he felt how the darkness faded away more and more, how the small thought that she might be right grew stronger and stronger.

For he wanted to believe her, he wanted her to be right. Could she be right? Anna had acted on her own, but he had still run away… But Elsa had run away as well.

"You didn't force your father to follow you Hiccup, he could've returned to Berk. He should've done it; he was the Chief. He went after you because he loved you. He saved you because he loved you and nothing you did could have changed that, you couldn't stop him, just like I couldn't stop Anna. You made choices, I made choices, but so did they. They made choices we could never control, for they made them out of their free will." Elsa told him, Hiccup feeling how his mind raced.

Elsa had run away; he had run away. Anna had followed her sister; she had had more reasons to follow than just love since the world had been covered in snow. She could have followed her only to save the kingdom.

But his dad… his dad had had no other reason to follow except for the fact that he was worried about him. Elsa was right. He should've returned to Berk; he knew Hiccup could manage on his own. Still his dad had followed since he was worried about him, he had followed because he loved him and wanted him to be safe.

Hiccup had told him to go back to Berk, he had shown so clearly he wanted to be left alone. Still his dad had followed him. He had gone against Hiccup's wishes.

He had chosen to follow.

He had chosen…

"Are we killers?"

At her whispered words, Hiccup saw in her eyes that Elsa would never allow him to just free her and not himself. She would never allow him to only blame himself. She was giving him the right to judge her as well. If he deemed himself a killer, he would doom her to the same fate. It didn't matter she had come to realize that she couldn't have done anything differently, he would take that progress away from her and blame her for what had happened.

He would put that burden back on her shoulders permanently and that was something he could never do. Not when he knew it hadn't been her fault. Not when he knew she couldn't control her powers back then and that she never could've affected Anna's choice.

Not when he loved her and wanted her to be happy.

Not when he hadn't been able to affect his dad's choice either, for no matter how hard it was to accept that there was nothing he could have done, he no longer could deny it. He couldn't have done more than he had done.

At the realization he felt empty for a moment before he heard a sound, a sound of sobbing, and he felt cold arms wrap around him. Holding onto her fiercely, Elsa cried silently with him as they held each other together.

It hadn't been her fault just like it hadn't been his.

Hiccup had made choices, but so had his father. He had chosen to save him. They had both made choices, but it wasn't his fault.

It wasn't his fault.

The relief that flooded through him finally lifted the guilt from his shoulders and, for the first time since his dad's death, Hiccup felt free to fully grieve him. As the loss washed over him, new tears fell, but Elsa was there and they held each other together. Despite being so broken, they somehow made each other whole. They both carried darkness, but somehow they had overcome parts of it that helped them heal each other.

Despite all odds, they belonged together for they understood what that darkness felt like.

They knew how it was to stand on the outside.

"We're not killers." Hiccup finally whispered to her when their tears finally were gone and he just held her in his arms, her head resting against his chest.

She was his light, his moon that lit up the black night within.

At his words she drew back a little and smiled up at him with such love he felt how that one smile changed him. It bound him to her in a new way, for it said the words she didn't say. It pierced through all his dark feelings as the frost in his heart sparked to life and filled it with warmth.

He loved her, there was no doubt anymore and it hadn't been for a long time. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone and he would never be whole without her. He needed her, just like she needed him.

And finally, there was nothing between them anymore. No secrets or barriers, nothing to hide. They had shared everything and they still wanted to stay with each other, there was nothing stopping them anymore. They were free to take the step they should have taken so long ago.

Placing his hand over her cheek he leaned down and, without any hesitation, he kissed her. The moment their lips touched, the world around him fell away as his heart started beating wildly. Her lips burned him and each sting rushed through him like lightning, igniting him as it chased away even the darkest parts of himself until there was nothing left but her light.

It was clear that Elsa at first didn't really know what to do, but when he carefully moved his lips over hers she relaxed and he pulled her closer when she finally, hesitantly, allowed her instincts to take control and responded to the kiss. Her hands were placed over his beating heart and feeling the cold, Hiccup had never felt more alive.

Nothing existed but the woman in his arms who had taken over everything, who had caught him off guard and turned out to be what he had been searching for. She was the home he had sought and that had made him so restless. He had never fitted in anywhere, until he had found another who had always felt the same.

He knew this wasn't the end of the dark emotions inside, he knew they would come back and he would always, to some part, blame himself. But he was on the right path and he now had a light to guide him.

Drawing back, it felt like his heart was expanding in his chest as he looked down at her blushing face and glowing eyes.

"I love you." He told her, not caring about the consequences. No matter what came in the future, he would fight for her. He would never let her go if she didn't want him to and if she did, he would die from another kind of frozen heart.

At his words, Elsa laughed as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips before pulling him in for a new hug. He loved feeling her so close and he buried his nose in her hair to breath in her scent of cold, snow and mint, his emotions still raging within.

"I love you too." She told him, her voice a little muffled against his chest. Hearing her say it, he had never felt happier to hear four words in his entire life. Holding each other close they both felt such relief at knowing they had someone they trusted, someone who didn't just love parts of them.

They had someone who loved all of them.

* * *

 **They love each other and they kissed! Yay! Finally! Hahaha it was about time!**

 **Now a little bit of repeating backstory in this chapter, but it is important to understand how all choices we make can affect us this much. For can** **a person really question themselves like this and their** **choices?** **Trust me they can, I know.** **I** **t's human to wonder, just like it's human to blame ourselves for things out of our control. Sometimes it's even easier than dealing with the grief itself.**

 **Now there are still some unanswered questions, so what will happen next? But most importantly, what will happen next?! Not many chapters left to go!**

 **Have a lovely day! Until next time my dear readers!  
/Lysistrate **


	21. Chapter 21

**New chapter and I have something to share with all of you, so don't forget to read the AN in the end of this chap! It's good news! I think hahaha!**

 **Guest (1):** I'm so happy you liked it and that I'm helping you come out of your lurking! ;) Thank you so much! I love this couple and wanted to share this idea and I'm very thankful to all of you who have given me so many kind words and that you have wanted to be a part of this journey! Also here is more haha!

 **Guest (2):** Haha yes christmas brings many good things! And thank you for wanting to be a part of this journey, but there are still two more chapters (three with this one) to go! Happy holidays!

 **Laidyx:** Haha it's good to know it was not in a bad way and tears is one of the best grades an author can get, though I must say that since I'm a student I will be unable to pay the bill for repair of your heart and the psychiatrist hahaha! ;) But maybe the coming chaps will help you get back, or play with your emotions even more! ;) Thank you much, it is such a joy to hear from you every chapter!

 **Noctus Fury:** I can fully understand you, if I could I would work with history but since the salary is not the best I chose law-school instead! Haha I think you should write a story, you could really bring more detail than most I think! :D So happy you liked the chap and you're right, that conversation was needed! And also there was finally the kiss, how long I wished to write that, and more Hiccelsa is now coming! There is nothing now holding them back, well almost nothing! ;)

* * *

21.

"We should head back."

Hiccup could hear the reluctance in her voice and couldn't keep back the small smile as he pulled her closer to him.

"No one will look for us yet." He answered, Elsa turning her head to give him a skeptical look.

"If there are any problems, know you'll have to take care off them." She answered before she relaxed against his chest again, Hiccup simply giving her a kiss on the head as the peaceful silence fell between them again.

After the emotional turmoil they both had gone through, neither of them had wanted to return to the festivities down at Berk. Instead they had returned to their spot by the fire and this time Hiccup had drawn Elsa into his arms without a second thought. When she had relaxed against him, he had felt the deep happiness within spread through him again. It felt wonderful to finally be free to just hold her without any feeling any guilt or without feeling he had to suppress any emotions.

The mere presence of her being so close to him was more than enough, he just wanted her with him and that was all. For a long time, they had sat in silence, simply relishing in the fact that there was nothing holding them back anymore. They were free to feel the deep connection they had developed to each other, the feeling of true belonging.

It was something that could never be described. You could say that it felt like your heart was so full and content that it reached out and connected to another, to the one you loved. That you became a part of someone outside of yourself, but it still couldn't explain the pure feeling of being… well of being at peace, of feeling content.

After a while, Toothless had found them, joining them by the fire as he laid down behind Hiccup and put his tail around them. Leaning back towards his dragon, Hiccup had felt how it all connected. The circle was full.

But no matter how much neither of them had wanted the silence to end, it had been since there was still things they needed to talk about and that had been Drago.

When Elsa asked him about his old nemesis, Hiccup hadn't been surprised she had brought it up. After all she needed to know if he was still a threat, if she had to fear he would come back. So even though it was a memory Hiccup didn't like to remember, he had told her about how the cruel man had met his final end.

He told her how the tribes had demanded blood after Stoick's death, his father had after all been extremely respected amongst them all and a man many of them had looked up to. As a result, the tribes had all agreed that a hunt for Drago would begin. They had also agreed that the tribe who found him would be to bring him under their law, judging him as they wished.

Of course, his father's death hadn't been the only reason the tribes had wanted Drago dead. He had been a man who could control the dragons and, unlike Hiccup, he had shown he was more than willing to use them in war.

So despite the fact that their collaboration had been born out of a need for revenge, it had helped bring the tribes together once again, creating the foundations for the relationships that existed between them today.

"But they still asked you first?" Elsa had asked Hiccup when he had told her about the day Drago had been captured. He had told her how the once fierce man had been a mere shell of his former self, his decay having caused many to say that the Gods had turned against him for what he had done. Even Hiccup, who had a pretty special relationship with the Gods, had wondered if the statement had been true after seeing which state of the former dragon torturer had been in.

"They did, I think they felt I had a right to decide his fate and I could've sentenced him to death but I didn't. I held our agreement and allowed our sister tribe to sentence him as they wished, it was our deal. Of course I knew this meant they would sentence him to a painful death so I could as will have given him the sentence myself, but it still felt like the right thing to do." Hiccup had told her, Elsa thankfully not asking what end the man had faced.

"I would have given him the sentence myself so I knew his fate, I hadn't dared to risk he could get a different fate." Elsa had told him and Hiccup had not been surprised by her statement. It was just another way they completed each other, she was objective and could detach from her emotions while he often listened to his heart too much. Together they could find a balance.

"What about the Bewilderbeast?" Elsa had then asked him, Hiccup telling her about the state of the poor creature. He did spare her most of the injuries it had suffered, but he knew Elsa still understood the extent of the state it had been in when he told her how he himself had put the poor creature out of its misery.

In a way, no matter what it had done, the poor dragon had not deserved the horrible fate it faced in the end.

After that the silence had fallen over them again, Hiccup knowing Elsa was processing what he had told her, until she had broken it just now.

And, as it would turn out, it would be she who broke it a third time.

"You know, there is something else we need to talk about as well." Elsa spoke once more, her hands holding his as they rested her lap.

"The dragon in the room." He sighed, Elsa turning around so she was facing him instead.

"We need to talk about this, how to make this work." She said, giving his hands a squeeze when she spoke.

"I'm not going to lie to you Elsa, I don't know how we can. I'm not going to ask you to give up your throne, I don't want you to. You're the Queen of Arendelle and I don't want to take that from you." He told her, Elsa feeling how much she valued his words as she smiled at him.

"And I know you are not a man who wants to live behind stone walls for the rest of his life." She replied, seeing in his eyes that she was right. "But before I left Arendelle there was an old woman who offered some outside advice on all this. In fact, I think she offended not just my intelligence but yours as well." She smiled.

"One guess; Mrs. Tomson." Hiccup grinned at her, both chuckling when Elsa nodded.

Behind Hiccup, Toothless sighed loudly at the pair. Considering how long it had taken his two humans to finally move past all their silly problems, he could only agree with the older woman since he too had questioned their intelligence at times.

"Mrs. Tomson suggested that we don't renounce our titles and that we keep on ruling Arendelle and Berk as separate kingdoms." Elsa began, seeing the surprised look on Hiccup's face.

"That's a thought." He said slowly, Elsa seeing that his mind was already working a mile a minute. That he actually considered the suggestion made the hope spread through her, for it meant he didn't find the idea impossible either. "I have never heard anyone doing it before though." He added.

"Neither have I, but I have thought about it and I think we could do it. This is the only way we won't have to worry about forcing out cultures together even though the relationship between them of course will grow stronger. Also my council already adores you and I think with some time, I can learn your ways better as well." She told him.

"Well, you've only been here a week." Hiccup said, smiling when Elsa sent him a humorous glare.

"Are you saying I'm not fitting in?" She asked.

"Like a dragon in his pack." Hiccup replied with a grin, Elsa simply rolling her eyes at him.

"Anyway" She continued "What I mean is that it would be different and we would have to travel a lot, but we both have people we trust who can rule in our absence. It will probably be difficult, especially considering Berk and Arendelle are in need of different supplies and need to ruled in different ways, but I think it could work. Also I would still be Queen of Arendelle and you'd be Chief of Berk, we will stand on our own and still work together. We will have the final say in our kingdoms, we would just happen to be married as well." Elsa said, a little confused when a huge smile spread over Hiccup's face and he looked at her with eyes full of humor.

"Married you say? Is this a proposal Queen Elsa? It's a little untraditional if you ask me." He told her, Elsa realizing what she had just said. Seeing her eyes widen and a small blush spread over cheeks, Hiccup chuckled at her embarrassment.

"And what if it was?" She suddenly asked him, her response throwing him a little off guard since he could see the challenge in her eyes. Even if he knew she didn't mean it, he still knew his answer would matter to her. It would once again show how far he was willing to go, if he was willing to try.

"If it was I would accept it, without a second thought." He told her, Elsa feeling her heart speed up at how his serious face had gotten and how his eyes seemed to burn through her. "I want this, I want you and I want us to try. Even though it sounds insane, I think Mrs. Tomson has given us the only solution that could work." He told her.

At his words, Elsa felt the relief flood through her. Despite everything, a tiny part of her had feared he would find the idea insane, and even though they both actually did find it insane, he was still ready to try.

"I spoke to Anna before I left, she is ready to take more responsibility and I trust that she can do it, but I will have to take this up with the council as well." Elsa told him.

"I know, I have to talk to mom, Gobber and the rest of the elders as well. Even though not much will change for them, they still need to know and be on board." Hiccup agreed with her, Elsa nodding before she looked down at their joined hands.

"You know when the time comes, I still want a real proposal." She suddenly said, Hiccup smiling at her with amusement as he felt his love for her spiral up within at her words.

"So this one wasn't enough?"

"Of course not, no question was really asked and we have to court for a while, we can't just get married. We need to see if we can make this work first." She told him, Hiccup reaching out to caress her cheek.

"We can make it work." He told her with conviction and Elsa felt her skin burn under his hand as her mind flashed back to their kiss earlier. She wanted to kiss him again, her eyes darting to his lips as he looked at her with those green eyes that made her body burn, but at the mere thought she felt nervous.

She had grown up learning to hold back, since she was a child she had been told it wasn't proper for a woman to want. She also didn't know how one initiated a kiss at all. Her want and love for him mixed with her own insecurities and she looked down at their joined hands since she didn't know what to do with her feelings.

But Hiccup only turned her head back up and smiled kindly at her, pushing back her hair before drawing her to him. The moment his lips touched hers, all thoughts of propriety disappeared from her mind, though the insecurity stayed.

She was so inexperienced while it was clear Hiccup was not and she was afraid that he would find it annoying. But as he carefully guided her, she felt how he wanted her to respond, how he wanted her to take part and the small the voice within telling her that a lady wasn't allowed to give in to her feelings turned quieter and quieter.

When she finally, hesitantly, responded to the kiss she felt him smile against her lips as he drew her closer. When he did, Elsa felt a sense of triumph inside and she felt how her nerves started to leave her.

She hadn't thought the feelings would be as powerful as the last time, but to God they were. She was burning, all of her was burning while her heart raced. She felt her blood rush and the constant rushes of excitement when his hands moved around her waist, up her back or into her hair which he at some point had released from the braid.

In response, Elsa leaned into him, his warm breath as quick as her own while she much more hesitantly let her hands wonder from up his chest until she could put her arms around his neck so she came closer to him. When her hair fell around them like a veil she couldn't help to smile as well, feeling like it offered them some privacy from the world.

Drawing back, her mind felt hazy, her breathing was quick while her lips felt strangely swollen. Seeing Hiccup look at her with burning eyes, she could feel the fire in her skin flare up again as she leaned down, refusing to listen to the voice telling her women shouldn't take initiative, and kissed him again.

This kiss was different though, it was short and slow, but still it moved her on a deeper level since it held another sense of belonging and when they drew back Hiccup leaned his forehead against hers.

"Is it always like this?" She breathed, not caring if the question was inappropriate. She needed something to focus on except for the fact that she wanted him to kiss her again, it was like a drug her body hadn't realized it needed until now.

"No, not like this. It has never been like this." Hiccup told her, kissing her on the forehead before hugging her close and she could hear his heart racing in his chest. It was beating just as fast as her own and it felt wonderful to know she truly affected him as much as he affected her. As they sat in silence, she heard his heart calm with her own while he kept running his hand through her hair.

"I take back what I said that night out on the ice." Hiccup suddenly whispered to her.

"We said a lot that night." She replied as they let go off each other, Hiccup holding a strand of her hair between his fingers.

"This fits you much better. You should always wear it out." He told her, Elsa smiling at him.

"Really? Even around Tuff and all other men here on Berk?" She asked, laughing when he suddenly frowned and gave her the leather band he had taken out to let it loose. "You don't think it's a good idea anymore? You suggested it." She smiled at him, twirling the band between her fingers.

"It was a week moment." He answered her, frowning even more when she chuckled.

"You are cute when you're jealous." She told him, Hiccup unable to stop his small blush, a little embarrassed at how easily she saw right through him. "But you don't have to worry, it would be inappropriate to wear it loose outside the home."

"Inappropriate? If you call wearing your hair down around others inappropriate, then what would you call what just happened now?" Hiccup grinned at her as Elsa started to detangle her hair, sending him a mischievous smile.

"That I would say was a poor helpless maiden who was ravished by the Chief of Berk. Everyone knows Vikings take what they want, so there really wasn't anything I could do about it." She answered before she glared at her hair in irritation. "What have you done with it? Seriously, it's a mess!"

At her irritated look, Hiccup couldn't help to smile as he leaned over to her, her eyes widening slightly as a small blush spread over her cheek.

"I'm not sure, but I do know that was not a helpless young maiden I just kissed. In fact, she seduced the poor Chief I think, not the other way around." He said, chuckling when she blinked at him as he rose from the ground.

"You try make anyone believe you over me!" Elsa called after him, Hiccup smiling widely at her words as he walked into the forest to fetch Toothless, the dragon having very wisely chosen to give them some privacy.

* * *

Flying back on Toothless hidden in the night, Hiccup dropped Elsa off at the house in which she was staying before he and Toothless walked back to their own. The moment Elsa disappeared from his view, his mind immediately returned to the time they had spent up on the hill.

He had told her everything and she had understood, in fact it had all turned out much better than he ever could have imagined for now they also had a plan on how they could make this work. They might have found a way to be together despite the differences between their lands.

He was so deep in thought when he walked inside the house that he didn't even notice the two dark shapes sitting by the big table by the fire.

Not until one of them spoke at least.

"Ye look like you've just been promised the world but don't know if you should accept it lad."

At the voice, Hiccup was so startled he drew Inferno, but when he saw who had spoken he glared at his old mentor and his mother.

"Are you two trying to scare me to death?" He asked them, both of them smiling at him.

"You and Queen Elsa just disappeared, it's far passed midnight." His mother only said, ignoring his question as Hiccup looked between them. To their surprise though he didn't glare at them, instead his expression turned softer as he sat down at the table.

"We talked and lost tack of time." He replied.

"Talked you say?" Gobber asked with a grin, Hiccup glaring at him.

"Yes, talked." He answered, but the fact that his face was void of all emotion gave him away more than anything.

"Of course you did." Valka replied. "So what did you two talk about then?" She asked, seeing how a hesitant, pained expression crossed over her son's face.

"I told her about dad." He answered, looking her at her with the green eyes he had inherited from herself. His words stunned her and for a moment she didn't know how to respond. Hiccup had never brought up Stoick's death, he had always avoided it. He had even lashed out against all of them.

She would never forget when he had run away, how scared she had been that he would never return. She thanked the Gods every day that he had, but he had never been the same. She had always known how much he was haunted by guilt, but she had given up hope to make him see the other side.

It was only when she had seen the life return to him after he had met the Queen that she had begun to hope again. She had known he would be forced to tell the Queen about his past at some point, but she had not expected him to bring it up with her afterwards.

Nor had she expected to see no anger in his eyes nor any self-hatred.

Was is it possible…?

"What did you tell her?" She whispered, feeling even more hope in her heart when Hiccup's eyes stayed sad but calm.

He didn't push her away.

"Everything." He said quietly. "I told her everything and she understood. She knew what it was like, I can't tell you how, but she did." He told them, taking a deep breath. "She made me realize that… that I was wrong. That it wasn't my fault and I just… I'm sorry for everything I said to you, you didn't deserve it. Neither of you" He told her with tears in his eyes, Valka feeling how the relief flooded through her.

Pulling him in for a fierce hug, she felt her how own tears fall when he returned it. It was tears of happiness, relief and gratitude. Gratitude towards the Queen who had somehow managed to reach through to her son when she had been unable to so herself. In a way, it hurt her to know she couldn't give her own son what he needed, but she knew a mother's love could only go so far.

The love and understanding between a man and woman was so different, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"My dear son, of course it wasn't your fault, your father chose to save you. He loved you." Valka whispered to him, having not felt lighter or happier in many years when he simply hugged her a little closer.

"I know that mom, I know that now." Hiccup told as he felt how they could perhaps finally heal the rift that his father's death had caused between them. He wanted them to be a family again even though his father would forever be absent.

"And ye never have to apologize Hiccup, there is nothing to forgive." Gobber said, placing his hand on Hiccup's shoulder to give it a squeeze when mother and son had drawn back.

"I still feel horrible; I know you only wanted my best." He told them.

"Grief is something we all handle differently, ye're allowed grieve Stoick." Gobber answered, Hiccup sending him a grateful smile that turned a little mischievous.

"I also told Elsa I love her." Hiccup said, his smile growing when his mother and Gobber both stared at him, stunned, before looking at each other as a smile spread over Valka's face and Gobber started laughing.

"That's the spirit lad! I hope ye swept her off her feet!" He said, hitting Hiccup in the back happily. "And you still say all ye two did was talk?" He added with a wink, Hiccup finally blushing slightly at his words while Valka sent him with a scolding look.

"Hiccup! I do hope you treated her right! She is a Queen and from a very different culture than ours! Even if you two are in love each other I hope you didn't assume anything." She told him with a harsh look.

"Gods! Mom!" Hiccup exclaimed with huge eyes, Valka fully ignoring him.

"I'm serious, I know you know her better than any of us but still a young woman can sometimes…"

"We seriously can't be talking about this!" Hiccup said, looking horrified as he stared at his mother.

"Hiccup I know you're a good young man, your father did that right and when I spoke to Astrid she always…" His mother continued, Hiccup interrupting her.

"Wait! You talked with Astrid about us?!" Hiccup asked, staring at her with even more disbelief.

"You didn't think we were only talking about axes or dragons all the time did you? I wanted to know you treated her right and I…" His mother continued as both he and Gobber kept staring at her in slight horror.

"This is the reason I never approached anyone, well no one that my mother knew about." Gobber at one point leaned over and whispered in Hiccup's ear, Hiccup sending him an understanding look as his mother kept on talking.

"... so I know your father did well raising you but still I want to be certain. I remember myself when your father and I were young and we…" She said only for Hiccup to interrupt her again.

"NO! Mom seriously! That is something I don't want to know!" He told her with slight panic. "I can assure you nothing happened that was not… not... just not, okay? I'd never… I already know and I'm not talking about this right now!" He exclaimed with stress, finally seeing the smug smile on her face. "You were doing that on purpose." He added, staring at her as her smile grew.

"Who can blame me? I never had the chance to have this conversation with you." Valka laughed, Hiccup groaning as he buried his head in his hands.

"Thank the Gods for that." He muttered before looking up. "Now if you two don't mind, I have something I need to talk with you about that is more serious. Elsa and I talked about how we could solve us being rulers of Berk and Arendelle." He told them, both his mother and Gobber listening carefully while he explained the solution Mrs. Tomson had offered to their problem.

"I told her we could make it work, but I don't know if we can. I've never heard of anything like this before." He concluded, his insecurity shining through.

"Hiccup, if anyone could rule two kingdoms, I think it would be you and Queen Elsa. She has told me how respected you already are in Arendelle and even though our people still are a bit hesitant, they'll come to love her. She has only been here a week." Valka replied.

"Ye mother is right Hiccup." Gobber added. "With the dragons a journey to Arendelle only takes three days and the tribe is only hesitant since they're a little unsure how to approach the Queen, but they already greatly admire her for her power. If ye two love each other, ye should be with together." Gobber told him, Hiccup looking at them with gratitude.

"I'll need to talk to the elders about this."

"And we'll stand with you, son. Always. We just want you to be happy." Valka said, a determined look in her eyes.

"Thank you." He answered, happy that things were finally turning for them and that there was still a chance for them to heal.

A chance for them to go back.

* * *

The air around the arena was more excited than it had been all week for good reason, it was the final day of the weekly long tournament and today the winners were finally going to be crowned. The whole week the Vikings had been facing each other in different areas of expertise, everything from Dragon Racing and hand-to-hand battle to wrestling and their skills with different weapons.

It had all been very entertaining and, at times, painful to watch as the Vikings all fought with a ferocity that was unparalleled in her own world. After this week, Elsa would never more question their reputation of being stunning warriors for they had proved they fully deserved it.

The day had been long and the moon was once again claiming the sky when the only thing left was the last race for the dragon riders. All week they had been competing in different areas and today they would fly a strange race-tack, fighting against the clock as they put their evasive skills to test. They were not allowed to use any firepower or other abilities, it was all about being the fastest and most agile.

All week, Hiccup and Toothless had been almost painfully superior in most of the competitions, even though Astrid, Snotlout and Eret had been close at beating them at times. Elsa had asked Valka if Hiccup and Toothless usually were this superior, to which Valka had answered that the pair barely ever participated anymore because they indeed usually won.

But she had also told Elsa that the main reason was that Hiccup simply didn't like the attention it brought to them, since he didn't like to feel like he was trying to show off. At her explanation Elsa hadn't been surprised, Hiccup had told her he didn't like to being in the center of attention and she could fully understand him.

Dragon racing was the only tournament Hiccup had taken part of, meaning that most of the time both he and Toothless had mostly kept her company up on the terrace. Watching the games with her, Hiccup had told her all she needed to know about the different rules and shared his knowledge about everyone competing.

This day she had only seen him briefly in the morning but they hadn't been able to talk to each other since they had been going in different directions. It had made her sad, for ever since he had brought her home last night she had been thinking about their situation and now she simply wanted to see him again.

She wanted the games to be over.

"The Chief wants to speak with Queen Elsa." Elsa suddenly heard a female voice say behind her. Turning away from the arena Elsa saw Astrid next to Kai, her captain frowning a little but said nothing when Elsa rose from her place next to Ingrid. Giving Astrid a look that told her Elsa would follow her, the three started to descend down from the terrace that held the best places.

They walked in tense silence, but Elsa simply refused to break the silence it. Instead she kept her focus forward, though she couldn't help to at times inspect the other woman from the corner of her eye.

Astrid looked as unfazed as herself and for a while Elsa thought she would never speak, but thankfully she did.

"I know it was wrong not to tell you about the bedding." She said calmly, Elsa making sure to keep her expression unreadable.

"It was." She simply replied.

"Hiccup told me that you two have been talking about moving between Arendelle and Berk." Astrid stated, Elsa looking at her. She had not expected the conversation to take this turn.

"We have." She answered, wondering where Astrid was going with this.

"I just want you to know I think you could do it and I've promised that I'll help with anything I can here on Berk when Hiccup is away. I'll of course have to share the responsibilities, but I'd be here to help." Astrid said, her eyes holding the apology she didn't voice.

"That's good to know." Elsa answered softly. She knew the words was the apology Astrid would never speak clearly, the Shield Maiden was too proud for that, but it didn't mean Elsa couldn't see the gesture for what it really was.

Of course this didn't mean everything was healed between them, but it was good to know she had Astrid back on her side.

Smiling at each other, they walked the rest of the way in silence as Astrid took her down to the lowest parts of the arena, leading them into a small room. Inside Elsa was surprised to see not only Hiccup, but Valka, Gobber and Toothless as well.

"You wanted to talk to me." She said to the whole room, feeling how her stomach turned a little at sight of Hiccup in his full leather armor. She knew this was the day he was least likely to get hurt, but she still didn't like it.

"We heard something this morning that we have to discuss with you." Hiccup told her, an irritated look on his face. "It seems there are some plans taking place should some certain people win today." He said, nodding to Astrid who turned to Elsa.

"Tuff, Eret and Snotlout made a bet this morning. Should any of them win they're going to ask you for a kiss as their prize." She said with a frown, Elsa staring at her.

"What?! That is outrageous!" Elsa exclaimed angrily, she knew the winner was allowed to choose any prize, but she was not something they could bargain for!

"I know, had I heard them myself I would've hit them in the head and banned them from entering." Hiccup muttered as Kai, for once, sent Hiccup an approving look.

"Ye couldn't have done that even if ye wanted to, they're free to ask for whatever they wish. No offence." Gobber added to Elsa who still looked angry but she nodded her head, knowing the older man only spoke the truth.

"So did you only bring me down here to tell me this or something else?" Elsa asked, looking around at them.

"No, we brought you down here because this is them overstepping a line and we want you to be prepared should it happen" Valka told her calmly. "We want you to know you're free to refuse. You are the Queen of Arendelle, no one can force you."

"Or ye can choose a champion for ye to fight the winner." Gobber added.

"You mean I will have to be the one going against tradition either way?" Elsa asked, thinking about how she had thought about blending into Vikings society more, not act like she didn't accept it even more. For if she did simply refuse, she would put herself above them even if she was free to do it.

"We want you know your options." Hiccup told her, Elsa looking up into his green eyes. She could see he hated this whole situation just as much as she did, maybe even more.

"Well it's better than not knowing at all I guess." She answered, Kai sending her a reassuring look.

"I'll always fight for you my Queen, if you wish a champion." He told her, Elsa knowing he was only saying the words to be kind. But it didn't help the fact she knew a Viking woman probably would have challenged the winner and never sent someone else in her stead. She had faced her opponent head on, but Elsa could never do that since she couldn't use a weapon.

She had her powers sure, but it would never be allowed in usual combat.

With a feeling of helplessness, Elsa wondered how she could ever win the Vikings true respect when she had been raised so differently. It was one thing suppressing skills you had, another to not have them at all.

"You know Toothless and I have more points than anyone, if nothing out of the ordinary happens you don't have to worry, they'll never get the chance to even ask." Hiccup told her with reassuring eyes.

"Nor will you, I'm not your prize either." She glared at him in return, hitting him on the arm as the rest of the group watched in amusement. Even Kai smiled, though it was with more with a hint of satisfaction than anything else.

"I didn't say you were." Hiccup told her with an amused smile which caused Elsa to smile back at him.

At the sight Astrid cleared her throat loudly.

"If you two are done, I have another suggestion. How about Elsa is part of the course?" At her words, everyone stared at her, the two women with excitement while the men looked more hesitant.

"That's not a bad idea." Valka said finally said with a smile. "Queen Elsa could be at the end! We can say it's to even even the odds a little and no one will question it. As part of the course no one can ask you anything either since you would be participating and it would also give you a chance to show the tribe you wish to take part of our society."

"And you wouldn't get hurt. We're not allowed to use any firepower or attack you in any way, the whole competition is about evasiveness." Astrid added.

"You can't be serious!" Kai exclaimed at the crazy turn, feeling even more distressed when he saw a look he recognized in Elsa's eyes. "My Queen…"

"Oh stop it, it's brilliant!" Elsa told him with a smile towards Astrid who grinned back at her.

"Of course it is, I came up with it." Astrid responded.

"I agree with Kai. Elsa, I really don't think…" Hiccup began, Elsa sending him with a pointed look.

"Would a Viking have backed down?" She asked him and for a long time the pair simply stared at each other. It was clear they were putting across some sort of message to the other and watching them interact it was impossible not to see the deep connection between them they were no longer trying to hide. It was a bit intriguing to watch to be honest.

Then, finally, they saw the defeat enter Hiccup's eyes as he sighed.

"You know you don't have to do it, it's a good plan but no one is forcing you. You can simply refuse; no one would question it." He said and it was clear for everyone else that the pair seemed to have forgotten all about them.

"I know, but I even if I'm always going to be different I don't want your people to feel they need to watch themselves around me all the time. They need to see me more as one of them, not someone who is frail. Besides it will be fun making sure none of you gets past me to the finish line." She said, Hiccup smiling down at her.

"None of us? You don't think you are getting a bit to sure of yourself?" He asked, everyone a little stunned when the Queen stood slightly on her toes so their faces got closer, Elsa giving him a wicked smile.

"You know nothing Chief Haddock, but if there is a winner, make sure it's you." She replied before drawing back, chuckling at his stunned expression as she turned around. When she noticed everyone was looking at them she blushed a little, but she still managed compose her features and walk out of the room like nothing had happened. To everyone's surprise Astrid rose as well and fell into step with her, everyone staring after the two women until they heard them laughing out in the corridor.

Another who had been watching the full exchange with a smile was Kai, though he did his best to look irritated instead. He couldn't deny he had always been against Queen Elsa getting closer to Chief Haddock. After all the man was a Viking, but he now knew the Chief would soon learn the hard lesson most men had to learn after falling in love with a strong woman.

Not that this meant Kai had to go easy on him for that simple reason.

"You know Chief Haddock; I've been constructing a pretty impressive threat for a long time now." He began, Hiccup seeing how the old captain grinned at him with eyes that glowed with grim satisfaction. "However, I think you'll have enough on your hands without me adding to your troubles so I'll only say this; If you break her heart, I don't care who you are. I will hunt you down and make sure you can feel her pain." He said with fierce look.

Looking after the captain who went to follow his Queen, the three remaining Vikings saw how he stopped in the doorway leading out into the corridor, turning around with a grin.

"If you ever want to hear all of my speech you can always ask, it's quite impressive if I may so say so myself, and you're always free to borrow it in the future if you wish. I can keep working on it." The captain said, Gobber chuckling as Kai disappeared from sight.

"I would take him up on that offer if I were ye Hiccup for I think we'll soon have little royal wee devils running around here again and one of them might be a small lass."

At his words, Hiccup turned red while his mother and Gobber both laughed. Even Toothless looked highly amused at the fact Hiccup couldn't say anything in response, his rider being far to busy fighting away the imagine of young girl that suddenly appeared in his mind.

A young girl with ice blond hair and defiant ice blue eyes.

Just like her mother.

* * *

 **So BIG announcement! Or it's not very big, but it's an announcement! Or more like an offer now when I think about it, but never mind! Here is what's on my mind!**

 **Since it's christmas, I really want to give something to you guys, so I'm putting the next update IN YOUR HANDS! Amazing, I know ;) So here's the deal, after 15 reviews to this chapter I promise to update the next one within 24 hours, which will be the last real chapter for this story.** **After that, it's just the epilogue which will be posted on Christmas Eve as my present to you (in Sweden we open the presents on Christmas Eve and not on Christmas Day so you'll get to share in on some Swedish traditions).**

 **So now it's up to you, the next chapter will be posted no matter what, probably on Tuesday, but my gift to you is a chance to receive it faster!**

 **Happy holidays to you all! Until next time!**  
 **/Lysistrate**


	22. Chapter 22

**So that was fast and just like I promised, here is the final chapter! I'm actually feeling a bit sad. I've been updating weekly since August, what will I do with my life now? Maybe study haha! Now go on reading and I'll meet you at the bottom.**

 **Just one quick thing, there some last editing, so sorry for misspellings or strange sentences I've missed. I'll fix them up as I go!**

 **Guest (1):** Thank you, I'm happy you liked the story! Since you reached the mark, here is the new chap!

 **Guest (2):** Haha I've heard your wishes, new chap up!

 **Guest (3):** It might have been a cookie monster? (Bad humor, I know haha) Ohh thank you! Haha that would be a sight to behold, if Elsa ever gets a cold on Berk, it might even happen! That is a good question! But then there is always the possibility of no one telling them about Elsa's powers, even if I highly doubt that haha! Hope you'll like the final chapter!

 **Guest (4):** And here is the final chapter! Thank you so much for your review, I'm so happy to hear you have enjoyed the story! Also I can't help to be curious about your idea about this chapter. As for most of your questions, they are answered in this chapter and some will be answered in the epilogue! Do want me to answer them with more detail, just tell me after this chapter and I will give it to you in epilogue!

 **Guest (5, chapter 10):** Moving forward and only one chapter to go ;)

* * *

22.

The excitement surrounding the arena made the air pulse with energy as chatter from the watching Vikings turned into one single voice of cheer, joy and anticipation. Standing in the middle of it all, Elsa felt extremely small as she looked up at all the spectators. All the faces almost blended together and she felt nervous at what she was about to do.

When it had been announced that the Snow Queen would participate to even out the odds, the watching Vikings had at first only whispered amongst each other. The whispers had then turned more and more excited, until the air was boiling like now.

Still, despite the anticipation, it was clear they were all wondering how much of an obstacle the small Queen could be and Elsa couldn't really blame them. After all she had never really showed them her power. Sure she had created Fluffy, the small snowman now sitting happily next to Ingrid to watch the spectacle, but that was all they knew.

So seeing that many of the watching faces were both doubting and skeptical didn't surprise her the slightest. In fact, she knew as little as them about how what would happen, for she had no idea how well she could handle herself against the dragons and their riders.

However, even if she had never used her power in this way, Elsa knew her own strength. She was no longer afraid, she had changed. Thanks to Hiccup she had been given the motivation to accept who she was, she had learned to control her power and she was stronger than she had ever been before. With control and acceptance, she could now use her power to its fullest potential.

In a way, this would be her own test to see if she could truly control it. Sure the dragons weren't allowed to attack her in any way, but it would still be hard to keep them from the finish line. The riders and their dragons were all extremely skilled and they wanted to win, but she had the advantage of having studied them closely for a whole week while Hiccup had told her all he knew about them.

Seeing Gobber walk up to the great horn, Elsa felt her nerves gather like a stone in her stomach when he blew in to indicate that the first rider was out on the course. She didn't know the order in which she would face the Vikings for it another thing that had changed to even out the odds even more.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa held it for a moment as she allowed herself to feel everything, all of her excitement, her nervousness, her fears and her beating heart. Then she went deep into herself, to the very core she had rediscovered not too long ago.

She had lost her parents at a young age, she had fought the darkness and the loneliness. She had learned to accept who she was and by doing that her frozen heart had thawed. She had found love. She was the Queen of Arendelle. She was the ruler of Ice and Snow.

Around her lay a winter landscape unlike any other. The full moon was shining down at her, offering its cold light and comfort. A full circle, the sun making the moon shine while it, in return, offered the sun its needed rest.

She was the Snow Queen, this was her world and she was finally free to control it.

Slowly breathing out, Elsa felt her insecurities leave her like poison is drawn from a wound, this knowledge and her power filling her instead like a warm presence. A friend. It flooded through her and made her skin tingle, still her heart stayed calm, and she had never felt more secure or more in control.

With a smile, a look and a tiny nudge with her head, so small no one could see it, the snow around her flew to the sides of the arena, leaving ground free from its confinement. Once she had been forced to move her hands, now she no longer had to. It was so easy.

Laughing with joy, Elsa turned to where she knew the first rider would soon appear.

She was ready.

Let the games begin.

* * *

Fishlegs was the first out on the course. Under normal circumstances he would've been a little nervous, but knowing that Elsa was waiting at the end of the course had made him even more so. In fact, all the riders had been more focused than normal since no one really knew what she was capable of. Not even Fishlegs had seen much of her power despite having been in Arendelle for more than a month.

If Hiccup had more information than the rest of them, which Fishlegs didn't doubt he had, he hadn't shared it with any of them even when they asked. He had just said that they should ask the Queen themselves since it was not for him to tell.

Making their way through the course, Fishlegs felt how he only got more and more nervous the closer he and Meatlug got to the arena that was so full of anticipation he could feel it before he even started to fly towards it.

And as he got closer he finally saw her.

Elsa was standing in the middle of the arena, looking deceivingly innocent. Her eyes were trained on them and there was a clam around her that felt like a storm could erupt at any moment. In fact, it made Fishlegs even more insecure about what he should do when she just stared at him like that, not doing anything.

Torn, he wondered if he should try to simply fly over the finish line or if he should wait and see if Elsa would do anything. Not knowing anything about what she was thinking, Fishlegs finally decided on the first option.

"Let's just try to get this over with darling." He told Meatlug, his beloved dragon nodding her head happily as they set course towards the finish line.

The moment they flew into the arena, a huge pillar of ice suddenly shot up from the ground out of nowhere and it was more out of luck than skill that Meatlug managed to evade it. The second they had stabilized though, a new pillar suddenly appeared before them again.

"Keep going Meatlug!" Fishlegs shouted, trying to help Meatlug turn faster. This was their weakness, fast turns they couldn't see coming and, apparently, Elsa had figured it for a new pillar shot up in front of them once again.

This time though, they hadn't gotten the time to stabilize and the sharp turn forced them to turn in the wrong direction, the one away from the finish line. Fully turned, Fishlegs felt his stomach drop at the sight that now lay before them. The former pillars had all materialized into a curved wall that was coming that was coming towards them in a high speed and there was no way they could break the thick ice.

"Meatlug we really need to get out of here!" Fishlegs shouted in slight panic, seeing that an identical wall was closing in behind them as well. "We must try to get higher girl!" He told his dragon, Meatlug beating her wings as fast as she could to get them up over the wall, but before they reached the edge the two walls collided.

With shock Fishlegs realized he was trapped. Elsa had created a dome of ice around him and even if he had been allowed to use firepower, he highly doubted Meatlug would have been able to get them out.

Then, as sudden as it had appeared, the ice disappeared around him and he realized he had lost. Around the arena was an eerie silence, like no one could really comprehend what had just happened and only Elsa smiled up at him with glowing eyes.

The fierce calm around her was gone and there was pure laughter in her eyes when she looked at his shocked expression. Finally managing to shake it off, he sent her a smile back while gave her the thumbs up. In response, Elsa laughed and, to everyone's surprise, blew him a kiss that made him turn beat red.

Seeing the easiness between the Queen and Fishlegs made the arena come back to life with a few laughs before it erupted into loud cheers. Grinning and whistling, the Vikings were as burly as usual when Fishlegs left the arena, everyone wondering what was coming next.

And so the Vikings all watched in disbelief and awe as the Queen of Arendelle took out their worries one by one. It was clear she had studied all of them much more carefully than anyone had thought during the past week, for it was painfully obvious she knew both their strengths and weaknesses. The moment a rider entered the arena she seemed to know how to approach them and the world followed her every command.

With Tuffnut and Ruffnut she used their sibling rivalry against them. By creating different obstacles in their way, she forced the twins to make quick decisions and it only took two of those before they wanted to go in different directions. As a result, the twins barely even had the time to banter before they collided with a pillar that they could have evaded if they hadn't been pulling poor Barf and Belch in different directions.

At the impact the pillar shattered and a second later they were all encased in a large cage made out of ice, not that the twins were sorry about that.

With Snotlout, the Queen used his own vanity against him. It was almost a little painful to see how she lured him with a false pretense that he was going to make it only for her to conjure up a huge wave of snow close to the finish line, the wave knocking him and Hookfang down from the sky when it hit them. To say that Snotlout was angry when he and Hookfang looked up from the pile of soft snow, both unharmed, was an understatement.

Still, as it would turn out, the Queen wasn't invincible. Even though it was more luck than anything, Skullcrusher and Eret managed to get past her when the pair took a chance and flew right through a wall of ice. The wall shattered at the impact and with a few fast beats of his wings, Skullcrusher managed to get them over the finish line right before the Queen could do anything else.

By being the first to even finish the course, they therefore were the first to gather any points at all, even though their time turned out to be far from flattering.

As for Astrid, she turned out to be the Queen's most difficult opponent. Of course the Vikings didn't know Astrid had been Elsa's first trainer, but that knowledge helped the Shield Maiden and Stormfly as they masterfully avoided pillars, blasts of snow and strong winds. Still, in the end, they were forced down to the ground in the same way as Snotlout and Hookfang since Stormfly was not strong enough to fly through the snow like Skullcrusher had done earlier.

With all the Vikings cheering for the Queen, Elsa walked over to Astrid and offered her hand to the other woman who was laying in the pile of snow that had pulled her out of the sky. With a smile Astrid accepted her hand without second thought, despite her defeat.

"It's always good to see training give a result!" Astrid said, before turning more serious. "You do know Eret will win this if Hiccup doesn't get over the finish line?" She asked, Stormfly chattering as she shook the snow off of her wings.

"I know and I have a plan if Eret does." Elsa answered with a smile, Astrid seeing how her eyes glittered.

"You're gonna give Hiccup hell aren't you?" She grinned.

"I cannot have anyone to calling me partial. Besides, this is the only time I might actually have a chance of beating him." Elsa replied.

"And maybe you also like giving him a small heart attack should Eret win?" Astrid asked, laughing when Elsa smiled. "Give him your worst." She answered, giving Elsa a light punch on the arm before leaving the arena.

Left alone once more, Elsa felt how the nervousness she had been fighting all along started to break through again. This was indeed her only chance of ever beating Hiccup and Toothless, they were simply far too powerful even for her when they were allowed to use their offensive skills.

With the moon shining upon her, Elsa thanked it for its light as she looked up into the night sky, trying to see if she could spot the black dragon. The itself was horrible, worst of it all really since it gave her time to think. She knew she only had one chance to keep Hiccup and Toothless from finishing the course and it was by using her power in a way she had only done once before. The only difference was that then she hadn't been able to control it, now she thought she could.

Seeing the pair approaching in great speed, Elsa closed her eyes and relaxed before letting go, stretching out to the world around her. It was hard, being torn in so many directions, and she could sense every single crystal of ice and snow around her. But she didn't become lost, the core of who she was stayed and it became the anchor that kept her grounded.

Letting out a deep breath she felt how the world changed around her, how every small snowflake started to twist and turn.

With a smile she rose her arms, opened her eyes and saw how the storm grew around her. She could hear the Vikings surprise before it was quenched by the wind and the whole world turned white.

* * *

Hiccup couldn't see anything and the snowstorm was only growing in strength around him and Toothless. They had been forced to land the moment they entered the arena, the winds making it impossible for them to stay in the air as the storm raged on.

Elsa had told him about the storm she had once created, so he had known it could happen, but seeing her do it was another thing entirely. He could feel her in the storm, how the harsh winds that made it impossible for them to fly still slowed down around them so they wouldn't get hurt in any way.

Still if he hadn't had his helmet on, he doubted he would have been able to keep his eyes open.

"Toothless, do you know where we need to go bud?" He asked his dragon, Toothless growling in response as he shook his head. "I suppose we'll have to guess then." Hiccup told him, trying to remember which way they had been facing when they landed.

Thinking he had some kind of map in his head where they needed to go, they slowly started walking towards where he hoped the finish line would be. After all there was no way of knowing if they were walking in the right direction or not. The situation suddenly reminded him about that one time when they had been a snowstorm with the Snow Wraith.

Maybe he should introduce Elsa to the evasive dragon sometime, after this he had a strong feeling they would get along very well.

Walking through the white world, Hiccup had no idea how long he had been in arena. Time seemed to have disappeared around him and he suddenly wondered if they would ever get out.

"I told you I had a few tricks up my sleeve." Elsa's soft voice was suddenly heard in front of him and he saw her emerge from all the white with a smile on her face. Rising her hands, the storm suddenly calmed around them, creating a small circle of peace while it still raged on on the outside.

"This is amazing! How do you do it?" Hiccup asked, looking around in awe as he reached his hand out of the circle. He had expected some kind of resistance, but there was nothing at all. His hand just went right into the storm outside.

"I have a place of peace that keeps me grounded. It's all thanks to a certain Viking who helped me realize I needed to stop fighting." She told him as she walked over to him. "Some love might be present as well." She smiled.

"That would explain it." He answered, Elsa chuckling as she looked up at him, her smile being replaced with a frown instead.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked her, seeing her expression.

"You know I hated the fact I couldn't see your face the first time I met you because of that helmet and I still hate it now." She said, reaching up and pulled it off before allowing her hand to caress his cheek. "You know I have never created anything like this willingly before, I never could." She told him quietly, her eyes far away as she followed his jawline with her fingers and eyes.

"What have changed?" Hiccup asked her, her eyes finding his.

"I have learned to let go off the fear and I have learned to accept this, to accept me. I have something that anchors me, understanding. Still I wonder how it would have been if I had never feared this, if I hadn't walked down the wrong path from the beginning." She whispered and Hiccup could see how the dark memories suddenly came over her, how the light in her eyes faded as the storm slowly closed in on them.

"You're here now and that path has made you who you are. We're here thanks to that, isn't that what's most important?" He asked her, taking her hand as Toothless gently nudged her in the side. Looking at them both, he saw how the warmth in her eyes returned as she came back and the storm stopped approaching.

"You are right." She smiled at him. "Both of you." She added, giving Toothless a pat on the head. "You know Eret is the only one who has made it past the finish line." She said causally, smiling when Hiccup frowned.

"Well with this storm I'm not surprised he is the only one, though I'd like to increase that number to two." Hiccup replied.

"Oh he didn't face the storm; you are the only one who has done that." She answered, smiling when he looked a little affronted. "You should see it as a compliment." She told him, her eyes suddenly glowing as she pulled him closer to her. "I wanted to see you." She whispered.

Looking into her ice-blue eyes that seemed to hold a storm of their own, Hiccup noticed how he allowed her to pull him closer without any restraint. However, when her lips nearly touched his she started to pull back like earlier that day. This time though, there was no one watching, and Hiccup drew her back to him, taking a gentle hold of her face as he leaned down and kissed her.

With a small thud, Elsa dropped the helmet that was still in her hands and she blinked at him when he pulled back, Hiccup smiling when her face turned flushed.

But to his surprise her dazed expression was soon replaced by a victorious one instead as she started backing away from him slowly.

"We never said the game was over. You really shouldn't get distracted so easily Chief Haddock." She smiled at him, gesturing to his feet. Looking down, his eyes widened when he saw that she had frozen his metal leg to the ground.

"What… you…?" He stared at her, her eyes glowing as the storm suddenly fell away around them, exposing her victory to everyone.

At the sight of their Chief standing with his foot frozen to the ground and the Queen smiling triumphantly at him, a stunned silence spread over the arena as everyone tried to comprehend what they saw, everyone wondering if it was really over. They had all been so certain their Chief would win, Hiccup always won.

But they, along with Elsa, had forgotten about one very important detail and it was that Hiccup could detach his leg.

Seeing their Chief send the Queen a smug smile, they watched in silence as he freed himself from his leg, Toothless jumping to his rider's aid. When his dragon reached him, Hiccup grabbed a hold of Toothless, the pair moving in the prefect sync they had developed over the years. Pulling himself up on Toothless' back the pair then lifted from the ground and flew over the finish line with ease, everything happening so fast that no one had the time to react, even less do something to stop them.

Only when Toothless gave a proud roar did the spectators realize it was all over and, when they did, the arena exploded as the Vikings all cheered and screamed loudly, everyone shouting to each other what had just happened.

"You really shouldn't get distracted so easily Queen Elsa." Hiccup smiled down at her from Toothless, his eyes shining at her when the pair landed next to her once again.

"If you hadn't had Toothless it never would have worked. I had you, admit it!" Elsa only replied, crossing her arms over her chest as Hiccup carefully glided down to the ground, Toothless supporting him carefully since he was missing his metal prosthetic.

"It was a collective effort." He replied, trying to find his balance to he could lean down and pick up his leg, only to see Elsa pick it up instead and offer it to him like it was nothing at all. Seeing his slightly disbelieving expression she smiled at him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before putting some distance between them once again.

The gesture was so small that Hiccup didn't think she understood how much it meant to him that she was so unaffected, it was one of the few things she could never understand, but it didn't lessen its value for him.

He didn't have the chance to thank her though since Spitelout rose from his seat and the whole arena went silent.

"Having looked at this challenge, the judges have decided to make a special decision. Considering this challenge has been unique in so many ways and only the Chief and Eret son of Eret managed to get over the finish line at all, we've decided to not look at the points or the time. Instead both riders will be rewarded as winners. One wish each, both of which will be voiced at tonight's feast!" He announced, the whole arena cheering loudly once again.

From his place with the other dragon riders', Eret sent Elsa a wink across the arena before being flooded by the horde of Vikings that was coming down to congratulate him.

"Hey stop glaring!" Elsa exclaimed, hitting Hiccup in the side when she saw the look he was sending Eret, his eyes leaving his friend as he looked at her instead. "I told you to win and you didn't so you have no right to glare." She told him.

"I did win." He replied, doing his best to hide his amusement when she gave him mischievous look.

"Not really, you're sharing the victory with Eret. It's not the same." She answered.

"And whose fault is that?" He asked with a pointed look.

"I can't help that you get easily distracted." She replied, her eyes glittering as he finally smiled at her.

"You never admit defeat do you?" He asked as the hoard of cheering Vikings was starting to close in around them as well.

"Says the man who refuses to admit it himself." She laughed before they were whisked away by the cheering crowd of Vikings.

* * *

The feast following the tournament was more lavish than any of the previous ones, but the biggest change for Elsa was that she no longer stood on the outside. She was constantly surrounded by Vikings who wanted to know more about her powers, never once appearing frightened of her. Instead they praised her for her skills, wondering how long she would stay and if she was willing to train with them.

When it was time for the winners to announce their wishes, Elsa watched with a smile when Hiccup's face turned surprised as Eret asked for a kiss, but not from her. Instead he grabbed a hold of a Brigitte, the whole Hall cheering loudly at the couple, even Elsa laughing happily at the huge, but slightly embarrassed, smile on the older woman's face.

What no one had known was that Brigitte had approached Elsa early that morning, asking if she would be allowed to stay on Berk instead of returning to Arendelle with rest of them. At her question Elsa had only made sure her friend knew what she was doing before releasing her from service without any hesitation.

Then, as Elsa had been on her way up to arena with Astrid before the competition, she had seen Brigitte and Eret talking quietly in one of the rooms they had passed. For a second Eret had met her eyes and the gratitude in them had told her all she needed to know.

In other words, Elsa had known Eret would never ask her for a kiss if he won, not when he knew he could get one from the woman he had asked to stay.

As a result of the excitement from the sudden turn of events, music started to spread in the Great Hall as the Vikings all started to pair up and start dancing. For Elsa this meant another new experience as well when a young Viking named Gustav invited her to dance in the usual Viking fashion.

He simply grabbed a hold of her and whisked her away into the dancing crowd.

Allowing herself to relax and let go of her usual restrains, Elsa soon fell into the much faster and freer dance movements as she flew over floor along with the rest of the laughing Vikings. She moved from partner to partner, all of them burly men who smiled at her and treated her with more respect than most nobles did at home.

Among the young men in Arendelle she would always be a woman first and a Queen second. This meant she was open for marriage and a great price for those who wanted power. Here however it was clear it was the other way around. Here she was a leader first, one who had shown herself to be both very powerful and strong, she also just happened to be woman.

In the Vikings eyes she was a Queen and she could see they didn't only see her as an equal, but someone they had a deep respect for as well.

As the evening turned into night, Elsa saw Hiccup watching her from the sidelines with a smile, his green eyes following her more and more intensely all the time. In the end his burning gaze and the high rush of happiness that surged through her made Elsa abandon her partner as she started to make her way through the crowd towards him.

When she had nearly reached him, Hiccup finally excused himself to the Vikings he was talking to and met her half way.

Reaching him, she threw her arms around his neck, for once not caring they were in plain view of everyone. She didn't even think much of the fact that Hiccup hugged her back and very clearly breathed in her sent.

"Let's get out of here." She whispered to him, pulling back as she grabbed a hold of his hands, the excitement rushing through her mixing with the love she felt for him as he smiled down at her. His green eyes were burning and for a moment Elsa was frozen in his gaze, only coming to life when a loud voice was heard over the music.

"Just kiss her already!" Tuff shouted, looking at them with a huge grin while Astrid, Ruff and Valka all glared at him. "What?!" He asked them, earning him a hit in the head by Ruff and a punch from Astrid.

Sharing a look, Elsa and Hiccup knew it was only a moment before the intoxicated Vikings around them would also realize what was going on, so with a huge smile Elsa dragged Hiccup's after her quickly through the crowd. When they finally reached the doors, they were both laughing, smiling at each other as they were greeted by the shining moon.

Okay, so maybe they were a little intoxicated as well.

Drawing in a deep breath Elsa allowed the cold to fill her and clear her head. With a smile still on her face she then led Hiccup in silence through Berk to the old pillar of ice the Bewilderbeast had left behind.

"You never got a chance to voice your wish." She told him, Hiccup looking at her with a questioning expression. "I could make them all disappear, if you want to." She explained gesturing to the ice, Hiccup realizing she was offering him a chance to get rid of the dark memory. She was giving him the opportunity to take away what was constantly reminding him about his father's death.

Had she offered it to him two days ago, he would have asked her to do it, but now… now he no longer wanted her to. The ice was a reminder not just to him, but to all of Berk of what had happened on that dark day and it would hopefully make sure they never forgot.

"I think it's needed for us to remember." He therefore told her, Elsa accepting his answer without any questions, she only smiled happily and looked out over the ocean.

"Solitude, it's underrated really." She said, Hiccup putting his arms around her waist as she leaned back against his chest.

"I can leave you alone if you want." He told her, Elsa hearing the humor in his voice as she turned around to glare at him.

"Don't you dare, if you do I will freeze both of your feet to the ground this time." She answered, leaning her head against his chest while Hiccup chuckled and tightened his hold around her.

In the background she could still hear the cheers from the Great Hall and the music from the Vikings instrument. It was such a different world and still, she had never felt more like home. Over the past week she had slowly started to get used to the Vikings way of life and today was the first day she felt like they had accepted her into it as well.

This didn't mean she agreed with everything in their culture or that she knew everything about them, but there were aspects of it she had come to love.

The openness, fierceness and more equal view were some, but learning that she was more like them than she had thought was another. All her life she had been taught to suppress this more lighthearted part of her, but it had always been there wanting to break free.

Just like Hiccup she belonged in both worlds and she over the past week she had come to realize her power might not have been the only reason she had always felt like an outsider.

Maybe that was also the reason why she felt so whole with Hiccup, for she felt whole when she was with him. His warmth had become something she longed for and she wanted him in her life. They had tried to be apart and it hadn't worked. In fact, the mere thought of living without him now made her feel slight panic and the old pain returned in her heart.

With him she felt alive and she wanted to hear his heart race alongside hers when they kissed. She wanted her blood to rush in her veins and she no longer wanted to feel cold. She wanted them to grow old together, have children…

At the thought she suddenly felt a deep longing she had never experienced before, one that made her want to put her hands to her stomach. How would it feel, to have life grow inside of you? A child out of love that would be a part of her and a part of Hiccup? A little boy with brown unruly hair and piercing green eyes like his father?

"My mom told me she taught you some Viking dances." Hiccup suddenly said, pulling her out of her thoughts. To be honest she was a little happy he had done it for it scared her a little at how strongly the vision had materialized in her mind.

"She has, though I'm not the very good, we only started a little yesterday." She replied, gathering her thoughts as she noticed that the music from the Great Hall had shifted into a slower melody.

"I think you did just fine before, but if that's how you feel, how about a lesson?" He asked with a smile, Elsa giving him an amused look when he offered his hand to her. "Come on, you gave me my first lesson, it's only fair I am allowed to give you one beneath the full moon as well." He told her.

"If you are trying to be romantic you are failing very badly." She replied, but she still took his hand and couldn't help to smile when he drew her close. "If you step on my feet I will not be merciful." She threatened.

"Don't you trust me more than that?" He asked, laughing when she only sent him a pointed look. "I'll be careful, now focus." He told her, Elsa smiling as she placed her arm next to his. Looking into his eyes, she felt how they drew her and the air around them started to tingle as they walked around each other, before switching arms and direction.

The soft music from the Great Hall set their pace, a soft, clear voice she recognized as Valka's singing words that was too far away for her to pick up, but they all held deep love and longing.

When Hiccup went down on one knee before her, she smiled as she danced around him before he rose and took both of her hands in his. Getting closer to each other, the music slowly increased it's pace for each step they took and her heart followed. Spinning her around so her back was against his chest, Elsa felt her cheeks flush at their closeness, their hands still connected in front of her.

When Hiccup suddenly spun her around once more, she laughed happily when he lifted her up in the air by the waist and twirled around with her a little before carefully putting her back on the ground.

In the background the music had stopped and she stood so close to him that there was barely any room between them. Looking into his green eyes, Elsa remembered how the love in them once had scared her. Now it only made her feel like her heart could never grow enough to hold the feelings she felt for him in return.

"You are so beautiful. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen, both inside and out." He whispered to her. "Once I wanted to search the world, now all I wish is to be with you, to love you, to hold you. The Snow Queen has stolen my heart so slowly I didn't notice, like growing frost in the winter. I love you and when the time is right, I'll ask for your hand, a real proposal." He told her, Elsa smiling as he leaned his forehead against hers and and she could feel his warm breath on her lips, teasing her.

"It was only right she stole a heart as well I think, considering the Viking Chief slowly thawed her frozen heart and claimed it once it was open without giving her any chance to fight him." She replied. "Not that I want it back, I love you too." She whispered and, for the first time, she took the first step. Pulling him down to her, she kissed him and she gasped when he pulled her to him.

With the moon shining down on them they were in that moment free of their titles and their responsibilities. They didn't think about the obstacles and the problems ahead, for there would be far too many for them to worry about. In that moment they let it all go and allowed themselves to only be Elsa and Hiccup, two people like anyone else.

And somehow they would be alright. They had each other and together they were much stronger than they were apart. Somehow they could do it, they could rule their lands and still be happy.

So standing there on the edge, with the endless ocean in front of them, Hiccup's warm arms around Elsa who listened to his racing heart, breathing in his scent of firewood, sun and wind, they felt no doubt that this was meant to be. This was the path that an old troll once had spoken about.

And had they been able to talk to him, to see the huge smile on his old face as their path against all odds shone brightly in the dark, they would have asked him if they were right.

Of course he would never have given them an answer, but he would have told them that many things are meant to happen, but few of them ever does. Choices get in the way and changes the paths. But when they do happen, we always know the truth.

We always know if they were meant to be.

* * *

 **This is the end, here we leave our couple! Is so sad! Also, yes, this means I am one of those horrible authors who leave you with an open ending! ;D But this story was always, as I wrote in my first chapter, about falling in love. What happens next, that's for all of you to decide, or at least to some point for there is still the epilogue and I decide what happens in that,** **the perks of being the author you know ;)**

 **The epilogue will be up on the 24th, so tune in then if you want to know what happened next and with that I will say for the last time with in this story;** **Until next time!**

 **/Lysistrate**


	23. Epilogue - A decade past

**It's finally here! The very last part of this story! It will give you some look into what has happened to our couple, though it still leaves some gaps. With time I might fill them up as well, I love this story and will most likely update it occasionally with different outtakes, but for now here is the end!**

 **Guest (1 chapter 16):** I know, Astrid is someone I feel sorry for as well, but things get better!

 **Guest (2 + (3?)):** I'm so happy you liked it! I have no plans for writing a sequel, but I do have some ideas that I think will be published as outtakes and they will be updated to this story and an reaction from Elsa's family could be one of those scenes ;)

 **Guest (4):** Thank you! I'm very glad you liked it!

 **Guest (5):** Thank you for reading it and joining in on the journey! It's you, the readers, who keep me writing!

 **Avamode:** Wow, thank you so much for your wonderful review! I'm so happy you have enjoyed the journey and I really do hope you'll like to see where the characters have gone here in the epilogue! Unfortunately I won't write a sequel, but I will update outtakes/deleted scenes to this one now and then I think. There are moments, both during "Like growing frost" and after, that I have never written down and if I do, I'll share it with all of you! Once again, thank you!

 **Noctus Fury:** I'm glad you liked all the fluff! To this story, there won't be a sequel, but I'll probably update some outtakes to this it and I have other projects in mind that will be up on this part of the site in the future. Hope to hear from you then and I'm also so happy that you've enjoyed the journey! It had been a joy reading your reviews for every chapter knowing you've followed it from chapter 1!

 **Laidyx:** Haha I think the speech will be used, though how much effect it will have then can be very interesting! And you are very correct, the dance in the end was the dance from HTTYD 2 with Valka and Stoick! I just couldn't write this without putting it in there! ;) Haha if schools next for you, than that's the next step for both of us! It has been a joy hearing from you since chapter 1 and I hope your Christmas Eve was wonderful!

* * *

 **Epilogue**

The sound of small feet drummed hastily through the corridors of the royal castle in Arendelle, the five royal children running as fast as they could to reach the courtyard. The youngest of them was a boy and, small for his age, he did his best to keep up with his older sister and three older cousins. They took longer steps than him and should have normally outran him, but he was fast for his age and on pure stubbornness he always managed to keep up.

Rushing around a corner his older sister Alva accidently bumped into Mr. Karlsson, the old butler nearly dropping the tray he was holding.

"Sorry Mr. Karlsson!" His sister screamed to the butler, the man sending a scolding look after them as they continued rushing down the corridor, finally seeing the huge doors that led out to courtyard.

"Come on!" Alva, his sister, shouted excitedly, all five of them rushing out of the doors that the attentive footmen opened for them. Coming out into the late afternoon sun, the warmth of summer hit them as they all looked up into the sky.

High up there, a dark spot was approaching from the mountains, and it was a sight they all had waited to see for a long time.

"I will never understand how you children can get out here so fast, weren't you at your lesson on the other side of the castle?" Aunt Anna said as she walked out to join them.

Her tummy was huge and his mother had told him it was because his aunt was carrying yet another cousin. Their cousin was late, not that the young boy really knew what that meant, but he really hoped the baby would hurry up. If it didn't he was afraid his auntie soon would blow up, even though his mother had told him he didn't have to worry about that.

"If I recall you were quite fast yourself before you and Kristoff started expanding your family constantly." Another warm voice suddenly said, his mother joining them out on the courtyard as his auntie stuck out her tongue to his mother with a smile on her face.

Seeing her, the young boy rushed over to his mother, reaching out his arms to her. With a warm smile, she immediately bent down and scooped him up into her arm.

"Do you think he has missed us mama?" He asked her, resting his head on her shoulder as they both looked up towards the black spot in the sky.

Unlike his papa, his auntie and everyone else, his mother was always cold. It was a big contrast to his own temperature, but he loved that it was. His mother was special, her cold embrace like a strong shelter that could keep out all the dangers of the word. He loved it, he loved that she was so different and that it was just the way it was.

"I know he has Daniel; he will have missed us as much as we have missed him." She answered, Daniel looking at his mother instead of the sky. He could see how the part of her that had been so gloom and empty for the last month was coming back to life again. He could see the special light in her eyes come back, the light that only lit up when his father was around.

It was always the same when his parents were separated. When they were apart they turned slightly empty and hollow, but he knew it was only because they loved each other so much. He had asked them once and they never lied.

"Do you think he brought Firefly with him as he promised?" Alva asked their mother, jumping up and down on the spot.

"Have your father ever broken a promise?" She responded, Alva giggling as shook her head with glowing eyes.

Looking at her children Elsa only felt an endless, deep love that she had never thought she would be allowed to experience. In her youth she had thought she would spend her life alone, instead she was married with two wonderful children.

Daniel was the spitting image of his father with dark unruly hair, freckles and a small build. The only thing that was her was his ice-blue eyes, for even in personality Daniel took after Hiccup. He was a thinker and a watcher. He loved studying the world around him and didn't like being the center of attention. He was already a very good artist and, even though he was only five years old, it was clear he was very intelligent. His teacher often praised him for his good work and for the fact that he was already far ahead others his age.

He was also a miracle. After several miscarriages, Elsa had finally become pregnant again. Everything had been going well and without any complications, at least until she had gone into labor three weeks prematurely. It had been long and complicated, the doctors doing what they could until it had been clear they could do no more. She had nearly lost her life to the blood loss while Daniel had been far too little for this world.

But by some miracle, they had both survived and managed to push through. Valka had arrived to Arendelle with Gothi from Berk and, along with the rest of the doctors in Arendelle, they had managed to find ways to keep both of them alive.

And during all the difficulties, Hiccup had never left their sides. He had been there always, nurturing them back to health in any way the could. In fact, Elsa was certain neither she nor Daniel would've survived if it hadn't been for him.

However, after Daniel's birth, it had taken a long time for her and Hiccup to find their way back to each other. There hadn't only been the constant fear and worry that their small son wouldn't survive, but Hiccup had been absolutely terrified that, should they ever have more children, he would lose both her and their possible child.

Their fears and worries had put a huge strain on their relationship, but they had pulled through and, in the end, it had made them stronger. However, there had never been no more children. Why they didn't know, but then again they had never asked why either. They had been blessed with two children who were growing stronger and healthier each day, so why ask the Gods for more when they had already been so generous?

Feeling how Daniel started to squirm a little in her arms, Elsa put him down on the ground so he could run up to his sister and cousins, all of them starting to bicker as someone else came soaring through the sky as well.

With a proud smile on her face, since the newcomer set his course for her, Alva happily held out her arm for old little Sharpshot to land on. Seeing the still sleepy look in his eyes, Elsa didn't doubt he had just awoken in the children's classroom to discover they were all gone.

From the moment Alva had been born, Elsa's tiny companion had taken it upon himself to protect her, and later also Daniel, from all harm. But he had also taken it upon himself to help keep them in line, scolding them in his own way when they tried to contradict their parents or did something they knew they weren't allowed to do.

Seeing old Sharpshot in his new role as guardian had been highly entertaining over the last few years, especially since he was still a terror himself and had no problem causing problems whenever he could. However, the extra eyes had been very welcome to both Hiccup and Elsa when it came to their daughter, for if Daniel was mostly calm and never did any mischief, Alva was the complete opposite.

Unlike her younger brother, Alva had mostly taken after Elsa in appearance with cold blond hair that fell in locks down her back and pale skin. She was tall for her age and her piercing green eyes, the same color as Hiccup's, were constantly on alert. She always spoke to anyone who wanted to listen and was simply a bundle of energy that was almost constantly moving.

Anna had once said that Elsa would've been the same If she hadn't been burdened by her powers as young, but it was a statement Elsa had refused to agree with. Alva's eagerness and forwardness had earned her a special relationship with Astrid, one that had resulted in Alva learning how to use both a sword and a bow without her parents' knowledge. At least until they had seen her train and realized she already knew the skills.

She was also, just like her brother, very intelligent. Being much more sarcastic though, and often talking without thinking, had resulted in her often getting into trouble with her teachers.

In other words, at seven years old she was already a whirlwind and a beauty, the combination causing many of the young noble boys to look at her with a mixture of intrigue and adoration. This, in return, already caused Hiccup to complain daily about all the admires he would have to keep away from her when she got into her teens.

Seeing how Toothless went in for landing, all of the children keep out of the way, only for them to rush forward and attack both dragon and rider the moment they both stood on the ground.

"Hey, hey take it easy!" Hiccup laughed, leaning down to pick up both Alva and Daniel as he threw them over his shoulders, both children screaming with laughter. "Look at this, two treasures for me to steal with me back to my fierce tribe!"

Looking at the spectacle of Anna's children doing their best to help Alva and Daniel while Hiccup kept them securely in his hold, Elsa laughed happily while feeling how much the sight warmed her.

Three months had passed without him. Three months had he missed in their children's lives, three months during which he hadn't been there to hold her and she had been unable to see his smiling green eyes. For three months she had been alone to fight the darkness of the past when it came to haunt her and she had hated knowing it had been same for him.

For no matter how much time that had passed, there were still days when their insecurities and bad memories came back. They had learned to accepted this and when those days came, they were always sure to remind themselves of the truth and simply be there for the other.

Not that being apart happened very often, in fact being apart this amount of time was very rare. Normally they moved between Berk and Arendelle together, it was only when their attentions were needed in different places at the same time they split up. This time it had been Anna's pregnancy that had kept her and the children in Arendelle, all three of them telling themselves their husband and father would soon be back.

Now, he finally was.

"Papa, stop it! Put us down!" Alva finally shouted with laughter, her eyes glowing up at her father once she was back on the ground. "Did you bring Firefly with you?" She asked with huge eyes.

"I see; the greeting was just a distraction." Hiccup said, looking extremely hurt as she laughed.

"Papa, don't be silly!" She said, hugging his leg. "I love you and you're funny sometimes, but you are not a dragon." She added, Hiccup chuckling as he picked out a tiny terrible terror from one of the saddle bags. The little dragon had bonded with their daughter and though dragons were not living in Arendelle, dragon riders were allowed to bring them when they visited.

"Here you go, he flew most of the way here so he is a bit tired." HIccup said, sitting down so his daughter was at his level before carefully giving her the small orange dragon. Smiling happily as all of the children gathered around them, Alva cooed to the small dragon who lazily opened one eye.

Seeing his chance to escape, Toothless walked over to where Elsa was standing. Reached her he pushed his head under her hand before sitting down next to her.

"Hello Toothless, how are you dear?" She asked him with a smile, Toothless sending her a tired look before looking over at the children. His expression caused her to laugh, for Elsa knew he really adored all of them, and in response he gave her hand a small lick. Over the years this had become their way of greeting and it was the same as it had been since she flew with him the first time.

"I missed you too Toothless. Both of you." She whispered to him, throwing a look at Hiccup who was still surrounded by all the children. With her eyes fixed on him, she missed the knowing look her sister exchanged with the black dragon by her side.

"Okay kids, now you need to return to your lessons or you'll never be done before dinner. Come on!" Anna said, knowing how much Elsa had missed Hiccup. It didn't matter that both of them were masters of concealing their affection, always acting professionally around others, for when they were together the deep connection between them was impossible to hide.

"But mom just a little bit more! Uncle Hiccup has been gone for so long and old Mr. Owl is boring!" Her eldest son groaned. In that moment he reminded her so much of Kristoff that Anna nearly laughed, but over the years she had learned to put a stern look on her face, which was exactly what she did now.

"Life will never just be fun and games, parts of it will always be boring and you might as well learn that now! And you shouldn't insult your elders either, now come on!" She said with a voice that left no room for arguments and all the children followed her with gloom faces, Alva and Daniel giving their father one last hug before following their aunt.

Alone out on the courtyard, Hiccup finally allowed himself to look at his wife. He had known what he would feel when he did, and seeing her once again made his heart almost ache at the love that welled up inside. She was as beautiful as ever and he felt how the part that had been missing him filled up as he looked at her.

"I missed you."

The words were only a whisper, but he heard them nevertheless. With two long steps he reached her, his arms closing around her as she threw hers around his neck and, just like that, the world was right again. The emptiness inside filled up and he felt how he could relax for the first time since he had left.

"Gods I've missed you too, so much." He whispered to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead before holding her even closer. Both of them refused to let go off each other, needing the closeness to each other. Feeling his warm arms around her again, Elsa nearly started to cry at the mere fact that he was back. As his warmth spread to her, she felt her heart come back to life. She felt it grow until it nearly hurt and it still wasn't enough.

Drawing back a little, Hiccup could see the love in her eyes as she put her hand on his cheek with a thoughtful expression.

"You've let it grow, I think I like it." She told him, referring to the fact he had allowed his beard to grow out over the last few months, not having found any motivation to shave it.

"You do?" He asked her with a grin.

"I do." She answered, a smile spreading over her face as he leaned down and kissed her, nothing existing but her in that moment.

It still amazed him how her mere presence could still make him feel so alive. Her ice cold skin still sent shivers thorough him and he felt how his heart started to race while his fatigue faded away. Even after ten years his love for her only seemed to grow and every day they grew closer and closer together.

Life hadn't been easy, over the years they had faced many difficulties and problems that had taken up most of their time, but they had pulled through. The relationship between their countries had grown and today they ruled over both of them with the help of a council that consisted of both Vikings and Ardellians. Together they took the vital decisions, while their two countries still had small councils of their own that took more local decisions.

Both cultures were now thriving and together they had become a powerful force in the world. Over the years it had become important to show their peaceful intentions to their neighbors and one way had been deciding to not bring dragons to live in Arendelle. By keeping the dragons on Berk, they had shown they had no intent of expanding their borders, though it had also been a practical decision.

The dragons had after all left these lands hundreds of years ago for a reason and it was no longer a land that welcomed them at all.

When Toothless finally pushed them apart from each others embrace, both of them laughed at their slightly irritated dragon. With a huge smile Elsa gave him a kiss on the muzzle, Toothless looking a little less irritated, before Hiccup put his arm around her and they headed towards the special stables that had been built for dragons that shortly visited Arendelle with their riders.

"So how long are they allowing you to stay this time?" Elsa asked, Hiccup giving her a warm look before letting go off her.

"Snotlout, Eret and Astrid have everything under control so three months as usual, though my mom wanted me to let you know she is very unhappy it isn't less; she misses the children." He replied as they both helped Toothless to get out of his gear, both of them knowing he wanted to get away from the court.

When he was in Arendelle, Toothless more enjoyed spending his time up with the trolls in the mountains or with Marshmallow than living within the castle grounds.

"I'm not surprised; she'll be happy to know they are missing Berk as well and can't wait to go back." Elsa answered with a smile. Valka had turned out to be quite the eager grandmother and the children adored her, though no one was better in their eyes than crazy uncle Gobber.

"As they should, they're half Vikings after all." Hiccup told her with a grin, putting away Toothless saddle. "Has Daniel said anything more about a dragon?" Hiccup then asked her causally, Elsa doing her best not to smile.

"He still thinks he is too young and that he hasn't found the right one yet." She told him, seeing how hard he tried to hide the small frown on his face. "Oh stop frowning!" She glared at him with amusement, his eyes widening innocently.

"What?! He's a Viking and he is my son, he should be dying to get a dragon of his own at Berk!" Hiccup told her.

"Half-Viking! And I think it's very wise of him to wait until he is ready. And no one could doubt he is your son, he takes after you in every single way. Including how much of a Viking he is." She grinned at him, turning away to let Toothless out of the back doors that were in the direction of the mountains.

Closing them behind the smug looking dragon, Elsa turned around only for two arms to trap her between the door and her husband who was looking down at her with a small smile. At the intense look in his eyes, she felt how her skin started to burn slowly at his mere presence.

"Are you saying I'm not very Viking-like my lady?" He asked her, Elsa feeling her heart speed up in her chest and she had to fight to appear unfazed.

"You have given me no proof of the opposite so far dear husband." She responded, happy she sounded as calm as she had hoped. Even though it had been ten years and she still couldn't control her emotions around him. Somehow, he always put her out of balance and it annoyed her to no end that he knew it.

"I think I can give you some proof." He told her, leaning in closer to her… only to stop when a voice cleared loudly behind them.

Taking a step away from her, Hiccup turned to see that Fredrik was standing in the doorway of the front doors with a grin on his face.

The lad had stayed with them all these years, his loyalty unwavering as they had taken him under their wings. He had had no family and while he had remained in their service, he had also become one of their closest friends. Now, at twenty years old, they had given him the chance to serve as their personal advisor.

A role he had taken on extremely well.

"I just wanted to let you know that Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene is coming with the twins to attended the christening of your new family member. Their answer arrived today and you wanted me to inform you the moment they replied Queen Elsa." He told them, Elsa smiling at him as she tried to make some sense out of her racing thoughts.

"Thank you Fredrik, what about the meeting tomorrow morning?" She asked him, the young man sending her a smug smile.

"I'll tell the council it'll take place around luncheon instead, I think it'll put them all in a better mood." He answered. "Now I shall leave you alone your majesty, Chief Haddock." He said, bowing his head a little both of them before leaving with them alone once more.

"I miss it when he was more innocent, the council will talk." Elsa said with a frown as they looked after him.

"As they talked when I refused to become King, when you refused to resign here to rule solely by my side on Berk and countless of other times. They'll always talk, that's what you strange Ardellians do." Hiccup said to her with a smile, his words earning him a small glare.

"Now you sound like Eugene."

"That man is much wiser than you give him credit to be." He replied, Elsa giving him a mischievous smile in return.

"Really? For if I don't remember incorrectly he found it extremely funny that little Torsten sent Alva a love letter and that you distinctly questioned his sanity after that."

At her words, it was Hiccup's turn to glare at her instead as he remembered when Alva had indeed gotten a letter from Eret's son. Not only had she refused to tell them what the young boy had written, to his great annoyance she had kept the letter as well _and_ responded to it.

After that event Hiccup had talked to Kai, asking him if he was still working on his speech. At his question the old captain had laughed happily before telling him that when he truly needed it, Kai would gladly share it with him.

"Don't remind me. And we don't know it was a love letter." Hiccup muttered in reply as Elsa's smile grew.

"Even if it wasn't, I find it to be pretty cute, and you have to admit they would be pretty cute to…" She began, being interrupted when Hiccup suddenly gently pushed her back against the doors. Looking into his burning eyes, Elsa felt her breath leave her as she felt how her skin started to burn once more.

"You know; I really don't want to think about that now." He told her, his warm breath on her lips as she felt her heart race widely. "I want to return to the moment before we were interrupted. I want to know more about the fact that my own wife doesn't find me to be enough of a Viking, why is that?" He asked her, seeing how her eyes filled with the storm of emotions he had come to love.

"Because from what I know Vikings kidnap women and take them for themselves, but we are still here talking if you haven't noticed. So you haven't been very successful this far." She told him, her eyes glittering as she allowed her lips to ghost over his. Capturing her lips in a soaring kiss, Hiccup felt how much she affected him, his mind hazy when they ended the kiss.

"You know you should never challenge a Viking my lady; they are an extremely stubborn people who like to prove everyone wrong from what I've heard." He whispered in her ear, hearing that her breath was just as labored as his.

"Still talking." She chuckled before putting her hand on his cheek. "And your beard will take some time getting used to."

"I can shave it off if you want to." He grinned at her, seeing the displeased look in her eyes.

"Never, it makes you look the part of a Viking Chief even more I think." She told him, Hiccup chuckling as the couple finally walked up together towards the castle to eat dinner with their family, knowing the whole ordeal would most likely be a spectacle of its own.

After all, there would be five children and one very untrained Terrible Terror in the same room. Maybe even spectacle wouldn't even fully cover it.

* * *

 **So that was it! Two little ones and a small army of cousins haha!**

 **Now I really want to thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited and followed this story! I'm so happy you've enjoyed the journey and that you wanted to follow it! It's you, the readers, who keeps me going and it has been a pure joy reading your reactions, knowing you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

 **So on that note, I'll check out for this time, but I'll be back and I hope you'll join me then! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!**

 **Love,  
Lysistrate**


	24. Appendix 1: The one of dreams and wishes

**So I'm back. I'm sorry to all of you who have PM:ed me or reviewed my other stories. I will come back to you, but life has been... well really tough for the last months... but I will come back to you all soon enough.**

 **So this is the first part of the Appendix for this story. They will not come in any chronological order, they'll just pop up when I write them down. Still I hope you'll like it! This chapter is, for different reasons, not edited so a small warning for grammar and spelling mistakes.**

 **Also, a huge thank you for all the love and kind words this story has received, it really warms my heart!**

* * *

 **Appendix 1: The one of dreams and wishes**

Turning around with an irritated sigh, Elsa was faced with the empty space next to her in the giant bed. Staring at it she felt her heart ache and she tried pulling the covers even tighter around her.

It didn't help.

Laying her hand on the empty spot next to her, she felt the loneliness well up inside. Normally he was always there next to her, his calm breathing giving her the peace she needed to sleep. She had always been a light sleeper, she had always slept uneasy, but for the past years that had changed. Hiccup had changed it.

Unlike her, he could fall asleep in a second and when he woke up he was immediately ready for the day. His presence next to her was always calming, helping her racing mind to relax when they went to bed. He would hold her in his arms, a warm cocoon in which she could rest without worry or fear.

But now he wasn't here, he hadn't been here for a month, and she had never needed him more.

Inside the stress and panic which had been constant within her for the past month grew stronger once more. It had been there even before he left, but she had not shared it with him. She hadn't wanted him to go but just like he had been forced to go, this time she had been forced to stay behind.

The reason he had been forced to leave was that it arisen some hardships between two tribes close to Berk. When they had they had asked him for help to settle their differences, he had never hesitated to leave and she had never told him not told him to. She had known he had to leave. After all, Hiccup had come to be known as a fantastic diplomat amongst his own people. It was a praise he deserved, but it was also something which had started to increase their already heavy burden of leading two different countries.

In fact, their workload was something that had actually started to become quite a problem. Decisions took too long to make, changes were too slow and it was hard for them to have everything under control. Having noticed the growing problem, she and Hiccup had been discussing how they would be able to ease their own burden and make everything run smoother.

Now they had finally come up with a few ideas which they thought could work well. All they had to do before putting them into action was speaking with the elders on Berk and the council in Arendelle.

It was some comfort that they soon hopefully would have a little more time to their disposal. It wasn't like they were going to have more spare time in the future if nothing changed, quite the opposite.

Feeling the slight panic rise more within, Elsa threw the covers away and put on her thin morning robe over her white nightdress. Walking over to the balcony she opened the doors and walked out into the night, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Above her the stars were shining and she could see the first frost starting to take over the world. Autumn was turning into winter and while the last warmth still kept its hold over Arendelle, she knew winter already had the upper hand on Berk.

Thinking of her other home, she missed the simpler life with the Vikings. Though mostly she wanted to go there since she missed her husband so much her heart felt broken.

Feeling her throat thicken, she couldn't stop the tears that escaped her eyes. She didn't have any control over the sudden loneliness and painful longing that welled up inside. She wanted him by her side, she needed him by her side. She had tried acting like normal for the past month, she had fulfilled all of her duties and she had not shared with anyone the secret that was eating her up inside. She hadn't even shared it with Anna. She had wanted to, but it hadn't felt right.

She couldn't tell her sister just yet, she had to speak with Hiccup first.

The only problem was that he wasn't here.

Hugging herself as her heart ached painfully, she saw her tears fall like drops of ice.

It had been nearly three years since they confessed their feelings for each other, nearly two years since they had gotten married, and she was still falling more in love with him every day. They were growing together, helping each other when the demons that still haunted them.

Sometimes it still even scared her how much she had come to love him, how connected she felt to him. When they were togehter, the world was right. A piece of her heart, which always felt hollow when he was away, came alive and filled her with warmth. He made her feel happy, alive and hopeful. With him she was safe, she didn't have to be anyone except herself. Even when they argued, for they were both too stubborn and too head-strong not to argue at times, she no longer felt shame or fear when the air around her grew colder.

Hiccup never cared either, to him it was just another part of her he loved and accepted without question.

Together they were planning for the future, they were building new alliances and their countries were thriving. Everything should be perfect, but it wasn't. There was a dark cloud over their happiness, a heavy cloak that hung on their shoulders.

Even after nearly two years of marriage they still had no children. It was their greatest sorrow and it had now even passed so much time that rumours had started to arise both in Arendelle and on Berk. Rumors that perhaps a woman filled with ice and snow perhaps couldn't carry a child.

Even if Elsa had tried hard to ignore the whispers that said her power probably made her body a hostile home for a baby, as time passed she had still felt how they had started to get to her. Hiccup had been furious when he heard about the rumors, but he just like her knew there was little they could do.

Though what he had done was making sure she knew he didn't believe what anyone else said. He had reminded her that sometimes it just took a little more time. He had even reassured her that if they couldn't have children, he would not love her any less. He had reminded her that it didn't even have to be her, that, perhaps, it was something wrong with him. He had said that if it was, he hoped she felt the same as him and she had with a lighter heart promised him she did.

And so once again in their sorrow they had once again found peace and solace in each other. Together they had come to the place where they were happy despite their longing. A place where all they could do was hope for a baby and be happy for the sound of at least one pair of little feet running through the castle from Anna's and Kristoff's firstborn son.

They had even managed to be a part of the celebration when Eret and Brigitte carefully had told them the other pair were having a baby only a few months into their marriage. They had managed to smile and be joyful when Anna and Kristoff had told them Anna was pregnant again.

That they both of those times later at night had held each other close as they both cried silently, mourning a wish they had not been blessed with, was something they had never shared with anyone.

Still despite this shard of darkness in their joy, it had brought something good. It had made the love between them grow and the stormy, fiery, desire between them had not been quenched. Their need for each other was as strong as ever, if not even more powerful than before, and they knew that their absence of children was not from lack of trying.

Of course, in a way, that made the absence of a child even worse at the same time.

"Oh Hiccup, why can't you be here?" Elsa whispered quietly, looking out over the city and putting her hands on the cold rail. She knew it was still about a week before he would come, but she wanted him here now. She needed to talk to him. She could no longer bear all of her fears alone.

* * *

"You just stay here bud." Hiccup said to his dragon, giving Toothless a hug and only smiling when his dragon gave him a small lick on the cheek. Seeing him lay down tiredly in the nest which was now his in a part of the suite he and Elsa lived in in Arendelle, Hiccup gave his friend a last pat before leaving him alone to rest.

When Hiccup had found out he and Elsa would live alone on a whole floor in the castle alone, he had at first been unsure how to react. In the end though he had simply come to accept it was custom for royalty in Arendelle and that it was one of those things which was expected by everyone. He knew Elsa also found it all to be a bit too much as well, so on her orders a big part of the floor had been renovated so that to Toothless could live with them inside the castle if he wanted to.

Mostly though, his dragon avoided the crowded life at court as much as he could and Hiccup fully understood him. Dragons were not meant to live within stone walls, no matter how much space that was given to them inside.

Walking hastily through their home floor, Hiccup nodded kindly to one of the maids who were already up and starting the fires. The young girl blushed deeply at his acknowledgement, bowing her head down when he passed.

Neither he nor Elsa were unaware that, despite their marriage, many women and men still tried to get close to them on an intimate level. After all lovers were not uncommon in either of their cultures, but it was never something that they had argued about. They loved each other and Hiccup trusted Elsa fully and he knew she trusted him as well.

In fact they had even jokingly agreed that a small crush had never hurt anyone, both knowing that people who were trying to use them only for the positions they had in life would always exist.

Seeing the large doors leading into their bedroom, Hiccup felt a deep sense of relief and happiness at the mere thought that he would soon be with the woman he loved once more. Being parted from her always was horrible and the longing for her was always hard to bear.

They both hated it, but sometimes they had to be apart. When they had decided to try to build their lives together three years ago, they had promised each other that their responsibilities could never suffer from their relationship and it was a promise they had never broken so far.

Of course that didn't mean the separation was any easier though or that he didn't wish they never had to be parted.

Opening the doors into their room quietly, his eyes immediately wandered to the bed. When his was met with the sight of only messy covers he wasn't the slightest surprised. He knew Elsa barely slept at all when she was alone, she barely slept when he was there to hold her. The only difference was that at least then she could relax and rest. When she was alone he knew she almost always stayed awake all night.

Closing the door quietly behind him he walked silently inside, feeling the cold breeze from the balcony. Looking towards it, he stopped in the middle of the room to take in the enchanting vision before him.

The white drapes were moving softly in the breeze coming in from the ocean and out on the balcony Elsa's slivery long locks were moving softly as well. Her pale skin almost seemed to glow and her thin robe was tied around her waist, showing off her figure which was curvier than most nobles in Arendelle.

Admiring her, he felt his heart swell with the love he felt for her. It never seemed to stop growing and seeing her he once again, as he had done that night by the pond so many years ago, wondered if she was truly human. She looked unearthly where she stood looking out over her kingdom. It was almost like the night sky had actually allowed a star to fall down on earth to live with the humans.

If he hadn't known her, her troubles, her fears and her darkness, perhaps he could've believed it. But he knew her, and his wife was not perfect, which was the reason he loved her so much. Together they became something more, together they became someone better than they were on their own.

Walking across the room and out onto the balcony, Elsa didn't even turn tense up when he wrapped his arms around her. Instead she only sighed and quickly turned around in his arms, her arms wrapping firmly around his waist as she rested her head on his chest, right over his heart.

"You're home." She whispered with a thick voice, Hiccup feeling his own tears gathering in his eyes. He could sense that something was weighing her down, but he was also overwhelmed by the feeling of becoming whole once more. Of feeling how what had been missing him came back with full force.

"I am." He whispered back, kissing her head and breathing in her scent. He didn't know if she knew how true her statement truly was for home was no longer Berk; it wasn't even Arendelle.

It was her.

"Odin I've missed you." He told her, closing his eyes as he knew her ear resting over his heart was listening to his heartbeat. She had told him how it gave her solace.

"I've missed you too." She answered, pulling back a little and looking up at him with tearful eyes. "Oh God I've missed you." She said again, pulling him down to her and kissing him softly. Happily he kissed her back, feeling every worry leave him.

All that mattered for now, all that existed, was her.

"You're back early." She said when they broke the kiss, Hiccup smiling down at her.

"I could leave a bit early, but maybe you would've wanted me to wait another week?" He asked, Elsa glaring up at him and hitting him on the chest with a smile.

"Idiot!" She muttered, Hiccup chuckling as he pulled her close once more, Elsa hugging him closer as well.

Standing in the silence, he felt deeply content just having her in his arms. Though he could still sense that it was something heavy in the air, something hanging over the usual pure joy of their reunions. Then he suddenly felt how something warm was soaking his shirt and looking down he saw that tears were falling silently from Elsa's eyes.

Seeing her cry, he felt his worry for her rise within. Elsa only very rarely cried, even in front of him. That she did meant something was very wrong.

"Love, what's the matter?" He asked, Elsa looking up at him as the tears started to flow even faster down her face.

"You're here." She sobbed, Hiccup stroking her cheek lovingly while feeling slightly confused.

"I am." He told her, Elsa taking a hold of his arms and holding onto him firmly.

"I'm just so happy you're here, I missed you and I…" Being interrupted by a sob that suddenly escaped her, Hiccup felt his worry for her grow.

"Elsa has something happened? You need to tell me if it has." He told her, drying away a few of her tears even if they were just replaced by new ones.

"No, or it has but I don't know how to…" Being interrupted by a new sob, Elsa looked down and took a deep breath before looking up at him with wide insecure eyes. "Hiccup, do you think I would be a good mother?" She asked, Hiccup feeling himself a little stunned by the sudden question.

In the beginning of their marriage this had come up a few times; Elsa's fear that their child would inherit her power, her fear that she might not be able to love it fully, that she would shut it out, and her fear of maybe losing control of her power if she got angry.

As their years had passed though, and there was still no sight of children, her fears had fallen into the shadows of their sorrow. That was the reason he was now so surprised she brought it up agan, it made him wonder what had brought her old insecurities back to the surface.

"Elsa, you would be a wonderful mother. I know you would." He told her, knowing it was true. He had seen how wonderful she was with the children on Berk, but mostly with young Kristian who was Anna's and Kristoff's firstborn son. The small boy adored her, just like Rapunzel's and Eugene's twins.

Heck, even the dragons trusted her with their babies.

"How do you know?" She asked, new tears falling from her slightly panicked eyes. "I know you would be a wonderful father, but me? What if I get angry and lose control of my power? What if I hurt our child?! What if our baby inherits my power? Can I really risk cursing our child? And I still have trouble showing my emotions! What if I can't show and give our baby the love it needs?! What if…"

Placing his hand on her face and stroking it gently, Elsa looked up at him and trailed off from her stressed ranting. Looking down at her with calm and loving eyes he felt happy when he saw her relax slightly. Never breaking eye contact with her, he took her hands in his own, her cold skin still making his tingle.

On her left ring finger he felt the silver ring that showed the world she was his.

"You are the most loving person I know, the one with the biggest heart. You are protecting, strong and compassionate. That you even think about this shows that if we are ever blessed with a child you'll love it more than anything. This shows you even love and care for one that doesn't… one that doesn't yet exist. Any child we hopefully are blessed with will never doubt your love and together we can rise a child. Together we can avoid all the wrongs our parents did." He told her, Elsa's tears having finally stopped.

"And if our child inherits your power than I would see it as a blessing, not a curse. It would have you to guide it, it would have both of us. We can teach it how to control its power from the start and your power is wonderful. It would just make our child even more special." He said, Elsa giving him a week smile.

"You really think so?" She asked, Hiccup smiling down at her.

"I know so." He said, Elsa's smile growing wider and her eyes filling with warmth before she once again rested her head on his chest.

"I love you." She told him quietly, Hiccup kissing her head.

"I love you too." He said, still wondering what had brought all of this on. Before he had the chance to ask though, Elsa suddenly pulled out of their embrace slightly and began playing with his tunic with a slightly nervous expression on her face, her eyes locked on her hands.

"And you are wrong." She said quietly, taking a small breath before looking up into his wondering eyes, her ice-blue ones now glowing with a warm, excited light. "I have loved the idea of a child for years, but I no longer have to love a child that doesn't exist. We don't have to love a child that dosen't exist." She told him, Hiccup feeling his mind go blank as all he could do was stare at her with wide eyes.

He was completely frozen, his mind unable to comprehend what Elsa had just said. He even stayed frozen when a small amused smile spread over her face and she took his hands in hers, putting them on her stomach and holding them there carefully.

She couldn't be… they had nearly given up… could it really…

"You're…" He began, his throat so dry he couldn't even get the word out. His brain had stopped working completely. All he could do was stare into Elsa's ice-blue eyes which now shone even brighter.

There was hope in them.

Hope and excitement.

"You're…" He began again, his throat suddenly thick as he felt something stir deep within. Could she really be…

"I was not sure until just after you left. This is the second month I haven't bleed so I called for the nurse and she believes it too." She told him, new tears gathering in her eyes. Eyes which were glowing with happiness. "Hiccup, you're going to be a father."

At her words, some small part of his mind finally came back to life and he felt how a huge grin spread over his face. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her fiercely and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him.

Breaking the kiss with a laugh, he hunched down and kissed her stomach, Elsa chuckling when he once again wrapped her in his arms and he hugged her close.

"We're going to have a baby? You're…" He began again, Elsa grinning up happily at him with glowing eyes when he still couldn't get the word out.

"Yes, I am. I'm pregnant." She glowed up at him, Hiccup not caring the slightest about the tears that started to fall from his eyes. He had never been happier, never had he felt such a deep joy. Despite having flown for nearly three days straight he was no longer tired.

He felt like he could take on the world.

Kissing her again, Hiccup felt Elsa was crying as well, but this time it was tears of happiness.

"You are going to be the most amazing mother, my Queen. My Elsa." He told her, feeling like the huge smile on his face could never go away. He never wanted it to.

"And you are going to be the most wonderful father, my Chief." She replied, stroking his cheek and feeling how her fears were haunted away by the love in his eyes.

Like he had said they were in this togehter. Together they could do it. They could do anything.

"Though so much will have to change now of course." She suddenly began, the words spilling out of her as she thought of everything that now would have to happen. "We really need to think about if we really shall have two ruling councils and we'll have too…"

She was interrupted by Hiccup kissing her softly, his eyes full of amusement when he pulled back and she blushed slightly from the rising tension around them.

And the promise of the electric, soft kiss.

"How about we talk about that tomorrow?" He asked her, his hands burning through her thin nightdress as they wandered over her back.

"Yes, but we should tell…"

"Yes, we should tell everyone." He interrupted her, Elsa getting lost in his green eyes. "But not tonight." He added, Elsa smiling up at him.

"No, not tonight." She agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck and rising a little on her toes so she could give him a soft kiss. "I love you." She told him, knowing the words would never be enough to fully describe her feelings.

No words would ever be enough.

"I love you too, more than you'll ever know." He answered softly, kissing her again as he lifted her up and carried her inside.

* * *

 **I think you all can guess that it's little Alva who is brining such joy! This chapter is, in a way, dedicated to all who have hardships having children. It's far from as easy and far from as given as I myself thought sometimes when I was younger. Now I know differently, not from personal experience, but from a couple who are two of my oldest friends. Therefore the emotions I convey in this story is only those I have experienced through others, which I think is important to point out.**

 **Now as I said, I'll come back to all of you who have PM:ed me and reviewed. You are not forgotten, promise! I also promise there is more to come, both for this story and for my other stories!**

 **Now, I hope you liked this little treat! Leave a review and tell me what you thought!**

 **Until next time!  
**

 **Love, Lysistrate**


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